A year after the shooting death of the beloved football star, a father continues to reject gun violence

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The father of a young man who was shot to death a year ago continues to honor his son’s life and speak out against gun violence.

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On July 5, 2021, Jooris Ndongozi’s son, 20-year-old Loris Tyson Ndongozi, was shot and killed in Lowertown. Tyson’s teammates at the North Gloucester Giants football club knew him as “Pancake,” remembering him as an up-and-coming football talent, gentle giant, and loyal friend.

Jooris Ndongozi’s suffering has only grown since that day, and in an interview on Tuesday he said the tragedy of his son’s death weighed heavily on him.

But it also continued to encourage him to speak out against gun violence. “I have to stand up to fight to make sure that no other parent goes through what I’m going through right now,” he said, “that other parents don’t have to go through what my kids and my wife are going through. right now.”

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Gun violence appeared to peak in Ottawa in 2021, when police reported more than 80 shootings and firearms were responsible for nine homicides, including Tyson’s. On June 27, Steve Bell, interim chief of the Ottawa Police Service, told the police services board that the city had had 25 shootings to date in 2022, down nearly 40 percent from the same period. last year, when there had already been 39. .

But for Ndongozi, who fled violence in Burundi, a small republic in central Africa, to come to Ottawa to raise a family only to have it torn apart by gunfire, that number is still too high.

“We need to stop the killing and ask why all these young people are running to violence, gun violence. I will not tolerate it,” he said.

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Ndongozi pledged to continue working to end gun violence in Ottawa, reaching out to youth at risk of falling into the cycle of violence and advocating for gun violence reduction initiatives to prevent them from drifting down that path. At every opportunity, at youth sporting events or in the community, she talks about her son and tries to explain to young people the dangers of the cycle of violence.

“Always talk about it, always show your actions while continuing to push more awareness of the problem so others don’t have to go through what we’re going through now,” he said.

But in his conversations with the youth, Ndongozi said he often heard resistance. Young people tell him they want to make money, and it is in the pursuit of wealth that they sometimes end up resorting to violence or feeling compelled to do so, he said.

“They are in search of pleasure. They are looking for money. But this is not the time,” she said. “They need to study, play sports. The money will come later. They compare themselves to others, but they shouldn’t.”

Jooris remains hopeful that the police will catch her son’s killer. Investigators have circulated images of the man suspected of killing Tyson and obtained a Canada-wide arrest warrant for Haybe Farhan Aden, 26, wanted for second-degree murder and attempted murder in connection with the case.

“The police are looking for him,” Jooris said. “He is still on the run.”