Calgary cops ID second Somali murder victim

CALGARY — Police have identified a young Somali man found murdered in an alley in the city’s northwest late last week.

An autopsy has confirmed the deceased is 23-year-old Murat Osman Omar.

Still to be determined is Omar’s cause of death, police say, but officers were called to the area of the 1400 block of 8 Street Northwest about 3 a.m. Jan. 2 to investigate gunshots and Omar’s body was found soon after.

At this time no suspects have been identified in the young man’s slaying.

Police believe Omar’s life was taken in a targeted attack and Imam Abdi Hersi, who has been in contact with the young man’s family, said they believe he was lured from his home by phone calls.

Investigation into the city’s second homicide of 2015 continues.

Meanwhile, police say there’s no new information about the city’s first homicide of the year, Abdullahi Ahmed, 26, who was critically injured in a mass shooting at a city home Jan. 1 during a New Year’s celebration, and died soon after in hospital.

Six others were injured in that shooting.

Currently there are no suspects in that killing either.

Both victims are of Somali descent, but police have said investigators don’t believe there’s any connection between the two murders and motives for either man’s slaying remain unknown.

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