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Before he was shot dead on a GO Transit bus in Toronto in January, Osemwengie Irorere hoped to become a nurse to create a better life for his wife and four children back home, a family member says.
The 46-year-old from Nigeria was fatally shot on the bus at the GO bus terminal next to Yorkdale Shopping Centre on Jan. 4 at about 7 p.m.
“It was very, very devastating to hear that news, that my brother who was very happy and full of life with a lot of dreams and goals, was pronounced dead in a very ugly incident,” his younger brother, Eric Irorere, told CBC Toronto.
“Obviously, it’s been a very difficult time for myself and for the entire family.”
Toronto police found Osemwengie on the bus suffering from a gunshot wound and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Irorere was Toronto’s first homicide victim of the year.
Tyrel Gibson, 40, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death. He had been released from federal prison six months earlier, having served eight years for assault and firearms charges.
Police allege Gibson and Osemwengie boarded the same bus at the terminal, and Gibson shot Irorere before fleeing on foot. Gibson was arrested a short time later and police recovered a firearm after he was located.
Victim described as hard working person
In an interview from the United Kingdom, Osemwengie’s brother said he was a hard-working person who had much compassion for others and loved to be around people.
“I would say he is an angel in terms of his character,” Eric said.
Osemwengie moved to Canada in 2023 to pursue a career in nursing and he was renting a home in Oshawa at the time of his murder. His children are aged 20, 18, 16 and 13.
Osemwengie Irorere was ‘very happy’ and ‘full of life,’ according to his younger brother, Eric Irorere. (Submitted by Eric Irorere)
Eric said the first sign that something was wrong was when the family was celebrating the 13th birthday of Osemwengie’s youngest child in Nigeria on Jan. 4 and they didn’t hear from him.
“We were trying to reach out to him on the 4th because he doesn’t joke with posting the family, especially on an event like that, on a birthday, but he didn’t post anything, so we were quite worried,” he said.
Family members tried to call his phone, which was switched off. They then tried to call contacts in the Greater Toronto Area, but they could not get information.
On Jan. 7, Nigerian police knocked on the family’s door looking for Osemwengie’s next of kin to share the news. Eric said the family found it hard to believe that he was dead.
Eric said he called his friends in Toronto to reach out to the police, which they did, and the news was confirmed. He said he also spoke to the detectives himself.
Victim’s father died after learning the news
The family then had to deal with more heartbreak.
Family members kept the news from Osemwengie’s 81-year old father because they were concerned about how he would take the news. Eric said their dad died six days after learning what happened to his eldest son.
“It’s been horrible for us,” he said.
The family has set up an online fundraiser to bring Osemwengie’s body back to Nigeria, Eric said.
“We want to do the repatriation back to Nigeria culturally to give him that respect that he deserves and also to have his legacy as seen in Nigeria, where his children can go to his grave whenever they want to go there and pay tribute,” he said.
Eric said he has fond memories of his brother: “I love to remember my brother, the way he smiles, and he’s a very happy person, like a jolly good fellow, which everybody will want to be around.”
His death has caused “everlasting pain,” he said.
A Gofundme page set up for Osemwengie says: “Osemwengie was not only a loving son and brother, but also a devoted father to four beautiful children who now have to grow up without their dad … His death has left a deep emotional and financial impact on them and on all of us who loved him.”