19-year-old shooting victim remembered as good friend, hard worker

Ottawa's latest shooting victim is being remembered as a hard worker and a good friend who was there to listen.

Zachary Tiglik was shot and killed on the night of June 29 in the city's Carlington neighbourhood. The 19-year-old Ottawa man was rushed to hospital by paramedics, but died from his injuries. 

The Ottawa Police Service's homicide unit is investigating the case, but did not share any new information when reached for comment on the weekend.

As of late Sunday night, no arrests had been announced.

"He didn't deserve what happened to him," said Gabriella Fitzpatrick. She and her boyfriend had known Tiglik since they were 13. 

Tiglik was from Nunavut but moved to Ottawa with his mother, Fitzpatrick said. He ended up living in group homes, she said, and would often run away to stay at her house until the police came to pick him up.

"He would just be so sad, like he really didn't wanna go back there," Fitzpatrick said.

Despite his problems, Tiglik wanted to help others, she said.

"He wasn't one to talk about his own feelings, but he was always up to talk about yours with you," she said. "He was always putting a smile on everyone's face, trying to solve other people's problems for them … he just wanted to make people happy."

Hearing about his passing, Fitzpatrick said, has left their friend group devastated. 

"A lot of us are just in shock … we're just not ourselves right now, we don't know what to do with ourselves," she said. "I can't function properly. It's really hard."

Got life back on track

Tiglik had developed a drug problem before his death, Fitzpatrick said, and they lost touch for about a year. He'd recently been trying to reconnect after getting his life back on track and finding work in roofing. 

"He had a job, he was clean off of drugs, and he was doing very good for himself," she said.

One of Tiglik's former employers, Zachary Provost, told Radio-Canada he was "shocked and saddened" to hear about his death.

Tiglik worked for him for a couple of months in 2022, Provost said, and was "an excellent employee [with a] good work ethic.

"He only left this job because he got a contract with another company," he said.

Tiglik's death was the second homicide in the Carlington neighbourhood in the same week, after 47-year-old Michael Quattrocchi was shot and killed on Raven Avenue the day before.

Police don't believe the two crimes are related.