Nova Scotia

Marchers mark 10 years since MacCullough slaying

It's been 10 years since Jason MacCullough was gunned down in a Dartmouth park, and the community refuses to forget.

It's been 10 years since Jason MacCullough was gunned down in a Dartmouth park, and the community refuses to forget.

More than 200 people joined Wednesday night's March Against Violence, an annual parade down the streets of north-end Dartmouth to remember MacCullough and reclaim the neighbourhood from criminals.

Allan MacCullough is moved at how young people in the neighbourhood refuse to let his son's memory fade.

"It's a positive statement for the community. And the kids were the ones who thought of it … and they're the ones who thought up the idea 10 years ago," said MacCullough. "I'm sure [Jason] would be amazed."

'I'm sure [Jason] would be amazed' —Allan MacCullough

Jason MacCullough, 19, was an active volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club of Dartmouth when he was killed on Aug. 28, 1999.

Police found his body around 2:30 a.m. on a paved path in a park off Pinecrest Drive, which now bears his name. He had been shot in the back of the head. Police called it a random attack.

The boys' and girls' club has been organizing the March Against Violence every year since MacCullough's death.

Police say they've come to use the annual event as a springboard for their investigation, a way to hopefully one day catch MacCullough's killer.

"Any investigators who work this investigation would tell you that there's definitely people that know what went on in that park besides the person who is responsible for the homicide," said Sgt. Jeff Clarke, with the cold case unit of Halifax Regional Police and RCMP.

"We hope an event like this will show them some courage and get support from the community and they would come forward and tell the police what they know, so it would certainly go a long way in solving this heinous crime."

Clarke said police plan to interview up to 15 people in the coming days.

The Nova Scotia government continues to offer $150,000 for information that leads to the conviction of MacCullough's killer.