Shahnaz Pestonji didn’t have a bad bone in her body.
Pestonji’s daughters – Dina and Yasmin – told Global News Friday their 71-year-old mother, who was killed Thursday in an apparent unprovoked stabbing, was a “loving, positive and humorous” person who went above and beyond to make sure everyone around her was OK.
“She always found the joy in everything no matter what we were going through,” Dina said of Pestonji, who was also a grandmother to a two-year-old girl.
“Even in the hard times, she was our rock, making sure everyone was OK around her, that we were all taken care of.”
At 9:37 a.m. July 17, Toronto police said officers responded to calls for a stabbing in a commercial parking lot at Parkway Forest Drive and Sheppard Avenue East, near Don Mills Road in North York.
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When officers arrived on scene, they found a woman with stab wounds. Police said the woman was unresponsive and they attempted life-saving measures.
She was taken to hospital under an emergency run, where she later died.
Duty Insp. Phil Sinclair said on Thursday police didn’t yet know if the male suspect and victim knew each other.
Sinclair said the attack “appeared to be unprovoked,” based on early assessments. There was no information to suggest there was an ongoing threat to public safety, he added.
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“We do understand this is a very deeply concerning incident,” he said. “It happened during the daytime hours in a busy plaza when many patrons were out simply shopping.”
Shahnaz Pestonji (centre) is seen in this undated family photo.
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In fact, Pestonji – a retired nurse – was out shopping Thursday morning, her husband Soli told Global News.
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Thursday was her day to do grocery shopping, and she would be out for a couple hours as she visited multiple stores, Soli said.
“It was about 12:30 and she’s not home, and she never stays out late,” he said. “She didn’t take her cell phone, so I couldn’t contact her. At about 2 p.m., I said, ‘If I go out, somebody is going to come home’ and then at about 2 p.m., detectives knocked on the door – and that was the worst time of my life.”
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Soli added his wife was “such a positive person” and “was never confrontational.”
“Why her, you know?” he asked.
“I still think she’s here. We were married for 47 years; we always had a good time. I was so lucky having her here. I was truly blessed.”
The suspect, who investigators said wore a balaclava, fled the area on foot. There has been no word on his arrest.
Shahnaz Pestonji (right) is seen in this undated family photo.
Submitted
Dina said the family is focusing on Pestonji’s impact in their lives and not the investigation.
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“I hope that person gets help,” she said.
“But we’re not thinking about that at all; we’re thinking about what we had with her and that’s the only way we can look at it and be able to move forward in a positive way.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
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