Murder charge laid in Nepean student's stabbing death
Ottawa police have announced a murder charge in connection with the stabbing death of a 15-year-old in Nepean last week.
The victim, identified by police as Ellis Smith, died over the weekend after being stabbed inside the cafeteria of the Mary Pitt Centre on Constellation Drive on May 2. Witnesses told CTV News Ottawa the stabbing happened after an argument between a group of teenagers became violent.
Police said Tuesday that 18-year-old Ibrahim Ocal, of Ottawa, is facing a charge of first-degree murder. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
Smith was a student at Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School, just across the street from the Mary Pitt Centre. His classmates placed roses outside the City of Ottawa building in Nepean on Monday and erected a memorial for him inside the school. Flags at the school were lowered to half-mast.
"He was a quiet kid. He was a good kid, though," said student Phyne Rutters. "He was in my art class. We would do projects together. Just a good kid, overall."
Police said Smith's family is asking for privacy.
Ottawa police had announced an arrest on Friday in connection with the attack, but did not initially disclose what charges were laid. In a news release Tuesday, just before 6 p.m., police said Ocal had originally been charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon before the homicide unit laid the murder charge.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board said the man in custody was not a student.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Statistics Canada reports real GDP grew 0.3 per cent in October
Statistics Canada says the economy grew 0.3 per cent in October, helped by strength in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector, following a 0.2 per cent increase in September.
Greenland is not for sale, its leader says in response to Trump
Greenland is not for sale, its elected leader said on Monday, responding to comments made by U.S. president-elect Donald Trump regarding the 'ownership and control' of the vast Arctic island that has been part of Denmark for over 600 years.
LIVE UPDATES Parts of Ontario under snowfall warning Monday as holiday travellers hit the road
Holiday travellers and commuters could be in for a messy drive on Monday morning as a significant round of snowfall moves into the region. Here are live updates on the situation in Toronto.
U.S. House Ethics report finds evidence Matt Gaetz paid thousands for sex and drugs including paying a 17-year-old for sex in 2017
The U.S. House Ethics Committee found evidence that former Rep. Matt Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex or drugs on at least 20 occasions, including paying a 17-year-old girl for sex in 2017, according to a final draft of the panel's report on the Florida Republican, obtained by CNN.
The rent-a-friend industry is booming among Canada's Chinese diaspora
Dozens of people are offering rent-a-friend services on Xiaohongshu, a social media platform also known as Little Red Book or China's Instagram, in cities including Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.
Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates before Trump can resume executions
U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before president-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.
Nordstrom agrees to US$6.25B buyout deal from founding family
Nordstrom said on Monday it would be acquired by its founding family and Mexican retailer El Puerto de Liverpool in an all-cash deal valuing the department store chain at about US$6.25 billion.
Green Party's Elizabeth May reflects on unprecedented week in Canadian politics
Elizabeth May says in all her years on Parliament Hill she has never seen anything like the last week in Canadian politics.
Nissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker
Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have announced plans to work toward a merger that would form the world's third-largest automaker by sales, as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels.