Toronto police, along with the BOLO Program, announced the rewards for information leading to the arrest of Mohamed Hassan, 21, and Gabriel Elmi, 28, during a press conference Thursday.
Hassan is wanted in connection with a shooting in Etobicoke in April 2021 that resulted in the death of 21-year-old Habil Hassan, as well as the wounding of another man.
Elmi, meanwhile, is the third and final outstanding suspect wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of City of Toronto recreation worker Thane Murray in the city’s Regent Park neighborhood in September 2021. Two other men were also wounded in shooting.
After his death, Murray was remembered as an integral part of the Regent Park community.  Mayor John Tory also offered his condolences, noting that Murray “touched many lives through his work at recreation facilities in the east end of the city.
“Let me be clear.  these runaway cases are some of the most heinous that the BOLO program has had the unfortunate mission of supporting,” BOLO Program Director Max Langlois told reporters.  “Both Mr Elmi and Mr Hassan are believed to be in the GTA.  They need to eat, they need somewhere to sleep, somewhere to shower, they probably need to work, they can’t hide in the closet 24/7, and they’re most likely on some kind of help.  Aiding these fugitives is wrong and may even be criminal in some cases.  So if you know anything about their whereabouts, it’s time to do the right thing for the families of the victims, for the community and for yourself.”
Hassan and Elmi are both on the BOLO program’s list of Canada’s 25 most wanted fugitives released earlier this year, with seven and nine respectively.
Police say they believe the two men are still in the GTA “actively evading capture.”  Both should be considered “armed and dangerous,” according to police.
“We don’t need you to be a witness or testify in court,” Hank Inzinga, who heads the Toronto police’s homicide unit, told reporters Thursday.  “The cases are ready to be heard.  We just need your help tracking them down.”
As part of the BOLO program, billboards containing images of the suspects and asking for information about their whereabouts will be posted across the GTA in the coming weeks.  The BOLO program will also run Facebook ads looking for leads.
Rewards will be available until January 7, 2023.
So far four of the top 25 fugitives on the BOLO list have been arrested.