On January 20, 2020, the family’s youngest son and brother, 15-year-old Safiullah, Safi for short, was murdered steps from Scarborough High School.
A then 15-year-old Toronto boy was arrested about 20 minutes after the shooting.  The young offender, who has not been named due to provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, has been charged with second-degree murder.  That charge has since been dropped, the Toronto Police Service’s homicide team told CP24.com.  Police said they are not commenting further on the case, which currently remains unsolved.
“It was very difficult.  This news has brought a lot of stress to me and my family,” said Safi’s elder brother Ahmad Khoswari.
“Our family has been changed forever.”
Khoswari said the hardest part is not knowing who is responsible for Safi’s murder.
“(Safi) was caught in the crossfire.  …We have no closure.  We have been in the dark for more than two years,” he said, adding that the bullet that struck and killed his brother was actually intended for the teenager who was initially arrested and charged.
“It’s hard to think, to concentrate.  We’re just trying to live life, look ahead.”
Just a week ago, Toronto police made an arrest in the recent killing of another teenager in the community, 18-year-old Jefferson Peter Shardeley Guerrier.  A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, handed himself in to police on November 3.
Local MPP Mitzie Hunter, a longtime advocate for community safety and well-being, has introduced a series of private member’s bills in an ongoing effort to address gun violence both in her community and across the province.
Five years ago, he introduced Act 30 – Fighting Back Against Handguns Act, 2018, which called on the province to allow municipalities to ban the sale of handgun ammunition within their boundaries.  This private member’s bill, which would have amended the Ammunition Regulation Act, 1994, passed first reading but was defeated on second reading in October 2018.
In June 2019, Hunter introduced House Bill 129, The Safe and Healthy Community Act, which among other things proposed amending the Health Insurance Act and the Health Protection and Promotion Act to declare gun violence a public health issue , however the session ended and so the bill “Died on the Order Papers” as it had just passed the first reading.
Last December, Hunter reintroduced the Safe and Healthy Community Act, then known as Bill 60. The bill, which also called on boards of health across the province to implement programs and services to reduce gun violence and increasing community capacity to help survivors and others affected by it passed first reading and reached committee, however the government refused to proceed with its study and once again died on the Order Paper when elections were called.
Last August, Hunter reintroduced the same bill, which is now known as Bill 9. It passed second reading, but was voted down on September 8.
In a recent note to the community, Hunter said she was “devastated at the loss of life and the loss of innocence for the young people exposed in this (latest) tragic incident.”
“In speaking with administrator Zakir Patel, it was clear to me that this act of violence destroyed a peaceful environment and terrorized our community as a whole.  Moreover, it underscores the urgent need for immediate and meaningful action to end gun violence,” Hunter wrote, adding that shootings like the one that occurred on Oct. 31 have a “profound intergenerational impact.”
“I know that the transformative power of the community is key to addressing gun violence, and that’s why I’ve continued to support legislation that recognizes that it’s a public health issue,” he said.
“It is critical that we strengthen our commitment to growing support, particularly at the community level and especially for our youth.  It has never been more important to unlock and mobilize urgently needed resources to help make Scarborough safer.”
On the day of the murder, Toronto Mayor John Tory issued a statement that read in part:
“Schools must be safe for all and absolutely free of guns and violence,” he wrote.
“This latest incident makes me very angry and I plan to sit down with police and school board officials to see what else we can do to ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff in and around our schools.” .
The next morning, Toronto District School Board Director of Education Colleen Russell-Rawlins said a “multi-pronged” approach is needed to prevent violent crime at school, including action by the school board and different levels of government.
Khoswari, meanwhile, said what happened to his brother and the pain his family suffered as a result of Safi’s death could have happened to anyone.
He said concrete steps must be taken now and stronger laws put in place to get guns off the streets.
“Kids are out there shooting each other,” he said.
“We must have control of guns and violence.  How many children have to die for the government to act?” 
With files from CP24’s Joshua Freeman.