Man killed in Winnipeg remembered as mentor, hard worker
The man stabbed to death in broad daylight in Winnipeg on Tuesday is being remembered by friends as a mentor to young newcomers and a hard worker who dreamed of owning his own business.
Jarso Boku Ano, 22, was a role model to the many kids he volunteered with, said Dalili Lokwa, a friend of Ano's.
Both men came to Canada from Kenya and connected in Swahili when Lokwa arrived in Winnipeg three years ago. Since then, Ano has been like a brother to him, Lokwa said.
"He's been my mentor. He's been a mentor to a lot of kids," Lokwa said. "He always told us about how we should stay in school."
Ano died in hospital after he was found with stab wounds outside a Kennedy Avenue apartment near Qu'Appelle Avenue on Wednesday around 4 p.m. His death marks the city's 11th homicide of 2017.
Police are still looking for anyone with information on the fatal stabbing.
Ano's death makes him afraid for other newcomer youth in the area, Lokwa said. Many young people in the community go to Central Park to play soccer or see friends, he said.
"Right now, I feel like I'm just spinning, and I feel like maybe I'm going to wake up and it's all not true." Lokwa said. "It's very scary. I cried the whole night and even now, my eyes are still swollen from this."
Lokwa said Ano's death is hard on everyone who knew him.
"He was good at connecting with the kids," he said. "That was one thing about him — he was a really down-to-earth person."
Fundraising to help family
Marc Maric, Ano's employer, said Ano was a hard worker who dreamed of owning his own business and providing for his family.
Maric, who owns M & M Roofing and Exteriors in Winnipeg, said Ano impressed him with his work ethic and the way he looked out for his brothers. It was one of Ano's younger brothers who called Maric to tell him Ano had died.
Maric is trying to raise money to help Ano's family cover funeral costs.
"When you have somebody that gives so much, I think it's important to give back, and I think that he deserves it and his family deserves it," Maric said.
"He was always willing to pitch in and help people out and so forth. So I just think it's appropriate that we help in this situation, help him and his family if we can."
