TORONTO — Classmates and friends of a man who was shot and killed in Toronto last week say they are left with questions after police released a mug shot of the victim in order to identify him.
Twenty-one-year-old Mohamed Sow was one of five people struck in a drive-by shooting in the city's west end on Friday, and police say he died of his injuries in hospital Saturday evening.
On Sunday, the department issued a news release with Sow's mug shot attached, along with details of the shooting.
The photo was taken down Monday morning, but not before it was published on several news websites and social media platforms.
After heavy backlash from the public and the victim's family and friends, the image on most media sites was eventually replaced with a graduation photo provided by Sow's family.
Neil Malcolm, a long-time friend of Sow's, says the young man deserved better.
"It really hurt to see that picture of Mohamed — it's still stuck in my head 'til this moment,” said Malcolm, who noted the mug shot used to identify his childhood friend was likely taken around five years ago, when Sow was a minor.
"He matured and became a better man throughout that time," he said.
"He didn't deserve any of this."
Toronto police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray said the department tries to release as much information as possible without compromising privacy, investigative tactics and court processes.
She said photographs of victims are released to further investigations and give faces to the names of people who are murdered in the city of Toronto.
"Every effort is made to use a photograph other than what is available in the service’s records management system. Sometimes, this is not possible," Gray said.
The current statement on the force's website does not include an image of the victim, citing the Youth Criminal Justice Act as the reasoning behind the change.
"Subject to this section, no person shall publish the name of a young person, or any other information related to a young person, if it would identify the young person as a young person dealt with under this act," the statement reads.
The new release also updates the victim's age to 21, not 20 as originally listed.
Kaela Johnson, 22, also knew Sow in high school said the young man was "respected and loved by so many."
She said the use of the mug shot made it look like Sow was the suspect instead of "an innocent victim of gun violence."
"It was upsetting," she said. "The stereotypes that Black men are thugs and criminals are perpetuated in these instances. It's not only damaging to the Black community, but to society."
Malcolm said he met Sow years ago and the two bonded over a love of soccer. They went on to attend Runnymede Collegiate Institute together, and Malcolm spoke of his friend's "amazing and kind-hearted" nature.
He said he hopes to bury his friend, but that seems unlikely with COVID-19 restrictions in place.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 12, 2020.
Osobe Waberi, The Canadian Press
