Montreal police say a youth who was arrested in connection with the killing of a 42-year-old man in the West Island last February has escaped from custody in Ontario.
In a rare move, police got authorization from a judge to temporarily release images of the suspect to the public since he is a minor and investigators are now asking for the public’s help in finding him. The images are being released until the weekend.
Makail Gas Mohamed, 16, escaped from custody on Sunday while being held in a youth correctional facility in Petersburg, Ont., according to a news release from Montreal police. While he was already in jail in Kitchener, he was arrested on July 18 in connection with the homicide in Dollard-des-Ormeaux on Feb. 6.
That evening, shortly before 6 p.m., the victim was shot multiple times in the parking lot of a shopping centre near the corner of des Sources and Brunswick boulevards. Two suspects fled the scene in a stolen vehicle before officers arrived.
A man is dead after a shooting in the parking lot of a shopping plaza in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. (Olivia O’Malley/CTV News)
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and his death marked the city’s fifth homicide of the year.
The following day, the getaway vehicle was found and Major Crime investigators gathered evidence that “eventually led to the identification of Makail Gas Mohamed, 16, as the possible shooter,” police alleged.
Mohamed is described as a Black male who is approximately six feet one inch tall and weighs about 155 pounds. At the time he escaped, he was wearing a light grey sweatshirt and sweatpants.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or their local police station. People can also contact Info-Crime Montreal anonymously at 514-393-1133 or via the reporting form available on infocrimemontreal.ca.
Rewards of up to $3,000 may be awarded by Info-Crime Montreal for information leading to the arrest of suspects.