Man Charged In Fatal Drive-By In Aylmer

Police investigating possible links to Ottawa street gangs

Ottawa, Canada, May 13, 2006 – A convicted drug dealer now charged with first-degree murder in the drive-by slaying of an Ottawa man was spared from going to jail 10 months ago when a judge sentenced him to house arrest.

Gatineau police said Roberson Mondesir, 37, was arrested at about 5:20 p.m. Thursday in a McArthur Avenue parking lot as he was about to climb into a Range Rover, less than 15 hours after 26-year-old Mohamoud Mohamed was shot in the head as he drove along Aylmer Road after leaving the Cabaret Le Pink strip club.

Yesterday, police said they were still investigating links with Ottawa street gangs, including the notorious Ledbury- Banff Crips.

"We're only 36 hours after a shooting. It is still an ongoing investigation," said Gatineau police Lieut. J. P. Le May. "It's still a possibility. We have to do our homework."

According to police, Mr. Mohamed and three friends were driving east on Aylmer Road in a silver Chevrolet Cavalier in the left-hand lane when a vehicle matching the description of the Range Rover pulled up next to them on the darkened road way at about 2:40 a.m. The driver of the SUV then fired multiple shots at the car near Rivermead Street, killing Mr. Mohamed, before the Cavalier left the road and collided head-on with a hydro pole at the corner of Atholl-Doune Street and Aylmer Road.

The three passengers in the car, all from Ottawa and in their 20s, suffered minor facial injuries.

Police have now seized Mr. Mondesir's Range Rover for a forensic examination.

It also appears the shooter may have been lying in wait in the Cabaret Le Pink parking lot for the victims, as there were no confrontations inside the bar, according to police.

With long braided hair and blue jail coveralls covering his stocky build, Mr. Mondesir leaned on the railing of the prisoner's box and quickly scanned the courtroom during a brief court appearance yesterday before being remanded into custody.

Mr. Mondesir, who lives in an apartment on the 17th floor of a St. Joseph Boulevard highrise apartment in Hull, was convicted last July in Ottawa of drug trafficking and sentenced to 12 months of house arrest and put on probation, according to court documents.

He was previously sentenced to 15 days in jail for assault and a breach of recognizance following a 1995 conviction.

While his official address was in Hull, police said it appeared Mr. Mondesir frequented several different addresses in Ottawa and Gatineau.

"We believe he is someone who would move around, he was not always at home, despite being under house arrest," said Lieut. Le May, who credited surveillance cameras from the bar with helping them identify a suspect within hours of the slaying.

"We confirmed a lot of information quickly, which led us to Mr. Mondesir quickly," he said.

Police said the exact motive for the slaying, or who exactly the intended target was, still hasn't been determined.

"That's an important part of our investigation, whether it was intended for the driver or someone else in the car," said Lieut. Le May, adding the Cavalier wasn't registered to Mr. Mohamed and had not been reported stolen.

Police are still trying to determine if there are any other suspects involved, said Lieut. Le May.

aseymour@thecitizen.canwest.com

Source: Ottawa Citizen,