Friends of former child soldier fear he was killed in N.L. police shooting

Friends of a former child solider from Sudan fear he is the person who died Monday in an encounter with police in St. John's.

Omar Mohammed escaped a civil war and later ran into legal troubles in Canada. His friends say they haven't seen him in a week, and have heard he was killed in what police are calling an officer-involved shooting.

But they say they are struggling to confirm it with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.

Less than two weeks before the shooting, the RNC had issued a press release asking for the public's help in locating Mohammed, saying warrants had been issued for his arrest.

On June 1, police said Mohammed was wanted in connection with failure to comply with court orders.

Mohammed, 38, was convicted last year of sexual assault and was placed on the sex offender registry for 20 years. He was also convicted on four counts that dated back to 2020, including assaulting a peace officer with a weapon and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Newfoundland and Labrador's police watchdog announced Monday it had launched an investigation into an officer-involved shooting at Regatta Plaza, at the corner of Elizabeth Avenue and New Cove Road, in St. John's. The shooting happened at 10:50 a.m. and resulted in the closure of the provincial government's employment services office.

A Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer suffered unknown injuries and was later released from hospital, according to the Serious Incident Response Team, which is leading the investigation. The circumstances surrounding the encounter are unknown. 

SIRT investigates incidents of significant public interest arising from the actions of a police officer.

Neither SIRT nor the RNC has confirmed the man's identity. However, those close to Mohammed say they have learned he was the man who died but say they are frustrated with their failed attempts to confirm his identity, including going to police headquarters on behalf of family living in a refugee camp in the African nation of Chad.

They say they have not seen or heard from him in about a week. 

"I know it is him, ma'am," said Adam Baker, who also came to Canada as a refugee.

"Omar is my best friend but the sad thing is Omar has mental illness. He went there to get a cheque. Omar has a problem with the police — they harass him a lot."

Baker added, "He kept his life limited, he was doing recycling."