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
Guilty: Trump becomes first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes
Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Can Trump come to Canada now that he's a convicted felon?
A Canadian immigration lawyer says now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, he is technically barred from crossing the border into Canada.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.
'All we need is a plug-in and a sink': B.C. helicopter charity delivers health care to remote Canada
Imagine your dentist arriving to help you via chopper. That is the aim of Helicopters Without Borders, a registered charity in B.C. specializing in bringing health care to remote communities, the sort of places you can only access quickly by air or water.
Aurora borealis returning to night skies across Canada this Friday: NOAA
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
'Why didn't they stop?' Mom asks of driver in hit-and-run crash that killed son
The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run in Edmonton is begging the driver to come forward.
Shell investigating a 'potential cybersecurity incident'
Oil and gas giant Shell says it is investigating a possible cybersecurity 'incident.'
Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting
Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested immigrants are to blame for the shooting of an empty Jewish school in Toronto over the weekend, despite police saying they have little information on the suspects.