Hundreds attend funeral for Rideau Street shooting victim
Hundreds of friends and family members gathered on Saturday for the funeral of Ashton Dickson, the 25-year-old former football star who was fatally shot outside a Rideau Street bar last month.
Dickson's teammates and coaches from his playing days at St. Francis Xavier University were in attendance, many of them wearing caps and t-shirts adorned with the team's "X" logo.
The chapel at Hulse, Playfair & McGarry funeral home was filled to capacity, as was every other room at the McLeod Street parlour.
Funeral officials estimated more than 500 people came to pay their respects to Dickson.
Dickson 'touched the lives' of many
Randy Roseway, who played football alongside Dickson at St. Francis Xavier, said he wasn't surprised by the huge turnout.
"He touched the lives of a lot of people. And as you can see throughout that funeral home, there was nowhere to sit," said Roseway. "Everybody just wants to be there and show their support and say their goodbyes to Ashton."
Those who spoke at the funeral remembered Dickson as someone who had no trouble making new friends, Roseway said.
"He was just generally a good guy and had a good heart. And the one thing that we can probably remember for sure is that he was lovable and laughable," said Roseway.
And while Dickson's sense of humour endeared him to his teammates, he was also remembered as someone who was very serious about football.
Gord Gallimore was one of Dickson's coaches at St. Francis Xavier. He made the drive from Mississauga, Ont. to attend the service.
"I'll remember Ashton as the guy who always wanted the football," said Gallimore, laughing. "He was always very competitive."
Police still investigating
As Saturday's funeral brought friends and family together to remember Dickson's life, Ottawa police continue to investigate the circumstances that led to his death.
In an email statement to CBC News on Saturday, Staff Sgt. Bruce Pirt of the major crimes unit said police "are still seeking the cooperation of the people that witnessed the shooting. They really need to come forward with the truth."
According to police, Dickson was involved in a "minor argument" inside the Mingle Room Bar and Lounge on Rideau Street in the early morning of June 26. The argument spilled outside the bar, where it turned deadly.
Since the shooting, police said they have struggled to track down witnesses and the lack of surveillance cameras at the Mingle Room has made the investigation more difficult. Late last month, Ottawa police asked anyone with video or photographic evidence of the shooting to come forward.
Dickson's former coach Gallimore is disturbed to think that Dickson's killer is still out there.
"It's so tragic. He had all the right tools going for him. He's 25 years old. He graduated from university. He was MVP. He had all these things going for him and then someone chose to take his life," said Gallimore.
"There's someone out there right now that could potentially do this to someone else. We're not safe. We want answers too."
