Teen Laid To Rest While Charged Friend Awaits Court Date
Posted November 19, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The collision occurred when the vehicle all three were riding in swerved off the road on Audley Rd. and Taunton Rd. at about 10am Sunday. According to witnesses, the green Mazda MX-6 plowed through a fence and rolled several times before coming to a rest on its roof in a field.
One of the victims, 15-year-old Ahmed Omar from Rexdale, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The second, Awais Awan, also 15 but from Laval, Quebec, also never made it out of the vehicle alive.
The driver suffered minor injuries and was released from Rouge Valley Health Centre after being treated. Police subsequently charged him with two counts of criminal negligence causing death. He was due to make an appearance in Oshawa court Monday but a decision wasn’t reached and he’ll be back before a judge Tuesday morning at 9:30am.
Cops suggest speed and driver inexperience were both factors in the crash. The identity of the accused is protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
“Our understanding is that the vehicle was his,” said Durham Police Sgt. Paul McCurbin. “It wasn’t registered obviously because a 14-year-old can’t be authorized to operate a vehicle.”
Omar was buried on Monday during a sombre ceremony. “The mother, when she came over here, she was so devastated. She was so crying,” said the victim’s Imam, Adam Esse.
All three teens went to a private Islamic boarding school in Ajax . “It was written, as we believe. It was out of their hands,” said Mohamed Omar, one of Ahmed’s relatives. “Whatever happened, happened, but God chose to take him in that accident.”
If you have information about the mishap that has torn three families apart, call Durham Regional Police at 905-579-1520 ext 5267 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
