Basketball tournament honours 14-year-old murdered in Toronto's east end

Dozens of young people came out Saturday for a memorial basketball tournament Saturday in honour of a local 14-year-old who was fatally stabbed in the city's east end earlier this month.

The tournament took place at Père Philippe Lamarche — a French Catholic secondary school in Scarborough — to pay tribute to their former friend and classmate, Abdoul Aziz Sarr.

The memorial tournament was organized by TAIBU Community Health Centre, where Sarr regularly volunteered.

On July 5, late in the evening, Sarr was stabbed near a fast food restaurant near Eastern and Woodward avenues, according to police. He later died in hospital. 

Two 16-year-olds have been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the stabbing, Toronto police said earlier this month.

"We couldn't really believe what happened," said 14-year-old Malik Tchecoim, who was at the tournament Saturday and said he knew Sarr.

"The day before that happened we just saw him, we talked to him. And the next day we just heard about him passing away," he said. "It was a shock"

Tchecoim said he and his friends, as well as the rest of Sarr's classmates, were saddened by Sarr's death, but the stabbing hasn't made him afraid of their neighbourhood. Still, he said his parents now ask that he check in with them diligently when he goes around town to be sure he makes it safely to where he's going.

Brahim Nokour, project co-ordinator for TAIBU, remembered Sarr as a young person who was highly engaged in his community — including TAIBU's basketball tournaments.

"He used to coordinate everything," said Nokour. "How could such a young person doing all this for his community tragically pass away?"

This weekend's tournament was a way for TAIBU to not only honour Sarr's memory, but also to teach the importance of physical and mental well-being to youth and parents through workshops, said Nokour.

It's part of a 12-week-long initiative promoting mental and physical health for Francophone youth. 

In response to this month's tragedy, Nokour said TAIBU organizers are trying to teach kids to "just be careful." 

"Instead of being out on the street, just hang out here, play basketball, socialize," he said.

He said he hopes the event encourages young people to identify their strengths and pushes them to contribute positively to their community.