These graduates lost their friend to gun violence. Now they're making sure he's never forgotten

A Toronto teen whose life was cut short by gun violence was remembered in a valedictorian speech at the school where he should have graduated on Thursday.

Mohamed Doumbouya, who died at the age of 16, would have been in Grade 12 this year. Nearly a year ago, he was gunned down inside an apartment unit in the area of King Street W. and Jameson Avenue on July 8, 2024.

Two teen boys, 16 and 17 at the time, have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in his death.

Since his death, Mohamed's friends have dedicated themselves to advocating against gun violence and honouring his memory.

"Mohamed was more than a friend," said Grade 12 student Brian Ehigiator in his valedictorian speech at Parkdale Collegiate Institute on Thursday. Ehigiator said he'd known Mohamed since childhood.

"He was a bright, kind and playful presence who left a lasting mark on everyone who knew him. This school year has been really difficult without being able to see him in the halls... There's been an emptiness, a silence where laughter used to be.

"But even though he is not physically here, his presence is still felt in every corner of this building." 

Ehigiator said Mohamed's friends have made sure that "his story, his life continues to matter." 

In an interview with CBC Radio's Metro Morning, Ehigiator said of his friend: "He really knew how to lighten a room. Even during serious situations, he was always funny, which I guess I loved about him the most."

Tania Camuti, principal of the school, said that after Mohamed's death, a group of 14 students applied for funding from the city's Community Crisis Response Program through its fund for youth initiatives in order to honour him. The fund provides one-time financial assistance to support communities affected by traumatic incidents and community violence.

Camuti said the students put together a number of initiatives using the funding.

They organized a group called Project MD that does anti-gun violence advocacy at the school. They also organized a play day for his elementary school in Parkdale, Dr Rita Cox — Kina Minagok Public School. And they organized to have the field at the school renamed in his honour, with a plaque and rock dedicated to him. The plaque and rock face the apartment building where he lived.

On top of that, they put together a display case, commissioned art and brought a guest speaker to the school to talk to students about youth and gun violence.

"What I've seen is a group of Grade 12s come together in tragedy to ensure that Mohamed's memory is not how he died but who he was," Camuti said.