Kool C Gunned Down In Toronto

Slain man was major figure on concert scene, police say
For years, he helped inject energy into Toronto's night life, but last Sunday, he was riddled with bullets as he sat in the front seat of his Hummer.

Toronto concert promoter Farouk Sylvester Musah died in a gangland-style shooting Sunday morning at 5:10 a.m. in the area of Lower Sherbourne Street and the Esplanade.

Police said that Mr. Musah, also known as Kool C within the city's entertainment industry, was a major figure on the concert scene for many years.

A family member said he was assisting in the promotion of the coming show by R&B rap artist Usher at the Air Canada Centre on Aug. 9.

A native of Ghana, Mr. Musah immigrated to Canada in 1992. He leaves three children -- an eight-year-old, a five-year-old and a 16-month-old baby.

"He was a man just trying to raise a family who had his life cut short," Mr. Musah's sister, who refused to give her name, said from her Brampton home.

"He's not the kind of person who gets involved in such mischief."

The woman said her brother was a private concert promoter who had no enemies. "It's really insane for this to happen -- we're just looking for answers and hoping police find a culprit," she said. "He's a good guy and he wouldn't hurt anybody."

Mr. Musah was said to be a major promoter of the inaugural Toronto Reggae Festival International held on June 27, although his family could not confirm this. A business associate, whose identity was concealed during a television interview, said the reggae festival did not meet expectations, especially after headliner Shaggy failed to appear, and Mr. Musah may have made enemies as a result.

When asked whether Mr. Musah had a criminal record, Detective Sergeant Mark Saunders of the Toronto Police Service said authorities were familiar with him before his death. "[But] there is nothing to insinuate this had to do with drugs or gangs," the detective said.

Mr. Musah was found slumped over in his Hummer in front of an apartment at 15 Scadding Ave. -- one block south of the Esplanade and Lower Sherbourne Street -- and Emergency Medical Services tended to his injuries, but he died at the scene, Det. Sgt. Saunders said.

Scot Wortley, a University of Toronto criminologist who lives in the neighbourhood where Mr. Musah was slain, said the killing "has a lot of the symptoms of a gangland slaying."

Mr. Wortley said the bullet calibre and number of bullets fired indicated a professional killing.

He said the Hummer has become a symbol of power and authority -- a notion reinforced by hip hop culture. "The Hummer is the extreme of the 'oh my God, look at me' cars. It's become a symbol of being successful and having wealth -- it certainly draws attention to you while you're on the street."

Residents of the area called the shooting an example of the escalating crime in their neighbourhood.

Drug dealers have moved in to the area over two years, said Paul Vincent, who lives next to the Scadding Avenue building near where Mr. Musah was killed. Mr. Vincent said he believes heavy police presence on Dundas and Queen Streets to the north drove the drug trade into his neighbourhood.

Small parks between many apartment buildings offer shadowy cover to potential dealers and their clientele. "If you see them, you don't look at them and you just keep on going," he said.

On the night of Mr. Musah's slaying, Mr. Vincent said he heard eight shots in rapid succession, suggesting a semi-automatic rifle. "We still believe it's a safe neighbourhood," he added.

Mr. Musah's white Hummer was seen at the apartment at 15 Scadding Avenue for at least three weeks, according to John, an eight-year resident of the building who did not want his last name used. "He knew someone in the building . . . I think it was a woman he was picking up sometimes," John said.

Police say they have yet to determine a motive in Mr. Musah's death.