{"id":722106,"date":"2026-06-08T02:08:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T02:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/722106\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T02:08:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T02:08:19","slug":"an-edmonton-mom-lost-her-daughter-in-a-tangled-web-of-violence-shes-finally-ready-to-talk-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/722106\/","title":{"rendered":"An Edmonton mom lost her daughter in a tangled web of violence. She’s finally ready to talk about it"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Mohamed Fofanah and Mya Abialmouna were shot to death in 2023, Fofanah\u2019s name rose to the top. The 20-year-old had lost a brother to homicide just six months prior, and Edmonton\u2019s Sierra Leonean community spoke out<\/a> on behalf of the grieving family. Mya\u2019s name faded into the background.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Three years later, with the case still unsolved, her mom wants to change that. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult, because what do you do? How do you help?\u201d Melissa Robertson said in an interview. \u201cWhat do you do to try to help your child who\u2019s gone and has seemingly almost been forgotten?<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and sadly she lost her life because of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mya, who also used the last name Robertson, was 21 and \u201cembarking into adulthood\u201d at the time of the shooting, her mother said. One of four sisters, she grew up in south Edmonton, attended J. Percy Page High School and competed in ballet, jazz and hip hop dancing. An animal lover, she was working at a pet store and taking upgrading courses in hopes of going to school for social work. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she hit 21 she was like, \u2018OK, I\u2019m ready to start looking at what life can look like for me,’\u201d Robertson said. \u201cShe really wanted to do more traveling, just start to spread her wings a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mya and Fofanah dated as teenagers but by March 2023 were \u201cgrowing up and growing apart,\u201d Robertson said. The two became close again after Fofanah\u2019s brother Alhaji was found dead<\/a> in Mountain View County in September 2022. Fofanah was struggling and Mya didn\u2019t want to abandon him, her mother said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018you need to be very, very careful, Mya. I understand you\u2019re worried about him \u2026 but I just need you to be very, very careful, because we don\u2019t know what\u2019s transpired.’\u201d<\/p>\n

The day before the shooting, Mya and Fofanah spent all day cooped up at home. Fofanah, who Robertson had known since he was 16, never took off his jacket. Both he and her daughter seemed \u201coff.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

On March 7, 2023, Mya\u00a0asked Fofanah to drive her to an appointment in her car. At some point, they were involved in a fender bender and stopped near 132A Avenue and 66 Street to wait for police to respond. \u00a0At around 7:35 p.m., someone opened fire on the vehicle. Edmonton police homicide Det. Jared Buhler later described<\/a> them as \u201csitting duck(s).\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Mya Abialmouna, 21, was killed in a shooting alongside 20-year-old Mohamed Fofanah in 2023. The homicides remain unsolved.<\/p>\n

\u2018Everybody thinks they know the scenario\u2019<\/p>\n

Robertson went silent in the wake of her daughter\u2019s killing. She hasn\u2019t posted photos of her or shared on social media, because of the nastiness that comes out in the comments.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018How does a parent not know what their kids are up to?’\u201d she said, giving a common example. \u201c\u2018Oh my God, you\u2019re gonna let your daughter date this person?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody thinks they know this scenario, but you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edmonton police homicide detectives continue to investigate the case but need someone to come forward with information, Robertson said.<\/p>\n

Police previously said<\/a> the homicides of Fofanah and Mya are connected to other violence, including the shooting of 20-year-old Usama Ibrahinadan just a week later. At a 2023 press conference, Buhler said police believe the shooters mistook Ibrahinadan for a friend of Fofanah\u2019s who lived in the same building.\u00a0The detective said all three shootings were \u201cpart of an ongoing conflict involving retaliatory violence between Edmonton-based groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robertson said her daughter was never involved in that lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a very open relationship with Mya, very strong communication, so she shared a lot with me,\u201d she said. \u201cShe may have known something, I don\u2019t know, but at that age, do you (really) know how grave and severe something could be?\u201d<\/p>\n

Since her daughter\u2019s death, Robertson has been attending meetings of the Victims of Homicide Support Society. It\u2019s helpful to be in a room with people that understand a unique kind of loss, but the meetings can be disheartening, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I look at how many people in the room are saying \u2018our cases aren\u2019t solved, our cases aren\u2019t solved, our cases are cold,\u2019 it really deteriorates your hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robertson hopes anyone with information about the homicides comes forward \u2014 which she knows is a scary prospect given the people involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter how small it may seem, this could help bring justice not just for Mya but for everybody victimized here,\u201d she said. \u201cOur family continues to live with this devastating loss, and their courage could make the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

jwakefield@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

x.com\/jonnywakefield <\/a><\/p>\n

@jonnywakefield.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n

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