Murder charge stayed against 1 of 3 men accused in fatal shooting of Winnipeg soccer player

One of three accused men has had his first-degree murder charge stayed in the shooting death of a 22-year-old soccer player in the parking lot outside a south Winnipeg soccer complex last summer.

The decision came after prosecutors determined Ibrahim Bangura's involvement in the killing of Mohamed Yusuf Abdullahi "is different than the co-accused in this situation," a provincial spokesperson said in an email Monday.

A court spokesperson said Bangura's charge was stayed on May 13.

Abdullahi was shot in the parking lot of the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex on Waverley Street on July 13. Police were called there around 11:45 p.m. and found him unresponsive and suffering from gunshot wounds.

WATCH | Mourners gather to honour 22-year-old fatally shot after soccer game:

Mourners gather to honour 22-year-old fatally shot after soccer game

11 months ago

Duration 1:18

Dozens showed up at the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex to pay tribute to Mohamed Yusuf Abdullahi, who died after being shot in its parking lot July 13. Speakers talked about Abdullahi's talents on and off the field, while calling for unity in the wake of his death.

Abdullahi had just finished playing in the sixth Canada African Cup of Nations 2024 tournament on Team Eritrea and was shot while exiting through the parking lot after a busy night, police said at the time.

He was rushed to hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead.

In February, Winnipeg police announced they'd arrested two men in connection with Abdullahi's death and were still looking for a third.

Bangura, 26, was arrested in Winnipeg on Jan. 20, while Norbert Kipala, 27, was arrested on Feb. 5 at the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre, where he was already in custody on an unrelated matter. Both were charged with first-degree murder.

Police also asked for the public's help finding a third suspect in the case: Tresor Horimbere, 22. They said while Horimbere has family and friends in Winnipeg, he may be in Ontario, where he has other family connections.

The provincial spokesperson said Monday that prosecutors can't provide any further comments about the case related to Abdullahi's death, "as the matter is before the courts, and one of the individuals has yet to be arrested."

Abdullahi was born in Somalia in 2002, and his family fled the civil war there to a refugee camp in Ethiopia, one of his teammates said previously at a memorial for him.

In 2014, Abdullahi and his family moved to Canada, where he eventually graduated from Gordon Bell High School. He volunteered as a soccer coach for young children and had recently organized a weeks-long soccer program for Somali children, the teammate said.