Toronto Police have issued a warrant for Abdulkadir Handule in the downtown Toronto shooting deaths of Jahvante “Smoke Dawg” Smart and Ernest “Kosi” Modekwe.
Police have issued a Canada-wide warrant for a suspect in relation to the murders of Toronto rapper Jahvante “Smoke Dawg” Smart and Ernest “Kosi” Modekwe.Smart and Modekwe were outside a nightclub on Toronto’s Queen Street West at around 8 PM on June 30 when dozens shots rang out. Witnesses, speaking to the CBC, say that the area was “bustling” at the time and when the gunfire happened chaos ensued with seas of people fleeing the area. At the end of it three people were shot. Two, Smart and Modekwe, would die after being transported to hospital—the third, an unnamed woman, survived.
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Photo via Toronto Police Service.
Police said that the suspects fled in either a white car or dark SUV. No motive has been released in connection to the killings but it has been suggested that it was possibly targeted.Toronto police issued a warrant for Abdulkadir Handule, 22, for two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. They also released a mugshot of the Handule and asked the public for information on his whereabouts. The news release announcing Handule as a suspect adds that a second person is wanted in the crime but because they are a minor their name cannot be released.
Smart was a member of Halal Gang, a Toronto rap collective and Modekwe (who was known in the rap community as Koba Prime) was the brand manager with the hip-hop collective Prime. Drake, who had Smart open for him on the European leg of his tour last year, released a statement about the rapper on his Instagram page shortly after his death.“All these gifts and blessed souls and inner lights being extinguished lately is devastating,” wrote Drake. “I wish peace would wash over our city. So much talent and so many stories we never get to see play out. Rest up Smoke.”Sign up for theVICE Canada Newsletterto get the best of VICE Canada delivered to your inbox.Follow Mack Lamoureux on Twitter .
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Smart was a member of Halal Gang, a Toronto rap collective and Modekwe (who was known in the rap community as Koba Prime) was the brand manager with the hip-hop collective Prime. Drake, who had Smart open for him on the European leg of his tour last year, released a statement about the rapper on his Instagram page shortly after his death.“All these gifts and blessed souls and inner lights being extinguished lately is devastating,” wrote Drake. “I wish peace would wash over our city. So much talent and so many stories we never get to see play out. Rest up Smoke.”Sign up for the VICE Canada Newsletter to get the best of VICE Canada delivered to your inbox.Follow Mack Lamoureux on Twitter .