Neighbours report no past problems at home where body discovered

'We see them (the people living in the house) in the summer, but we didn’t have any direct contact with them'

PICKERING -- The second murder of the year in Durham Region happened just blocks from the site of the first incident.

Shortly after midnight on Saturday, Jan. 26, Durham Regional Police were called to 1675 Hollyhedge Dr. in Pickering in the Major Oaks and Brock roads area in response to a shooting.

Police found one dead man inside the house and a second suffering from a non-life threatening gunshot wound. The injured man, a Pickering resident, was taken to hospital for treatment.

The name of the murdered man, also believed to be a Pickering resident, is being withheld pending identification.

On Monday morning, as children were heading off to school and people were out walking dogs, yellow police tape still surrounded two houses and a pair of cruisers were still posted outside the house.

Joe Rajab, who lives near the site, says, “A detective came over early Saturday morning when the incident first happened. I didn’t see any suspicious activity. They were very hard-working individuals.”

Mr. Rajab, whose wife is expecting the couple’s first child, says this sort of incident is “unheard of” in the neighbourhood.

“It’s a quiet community, quiet area,” he says. “It’s pretty shocking.

“We see them (the people living in the house) in the summer, but we didn’t have any direct contact with them,” Mr. Rajab adds.

Other neighbours said they never spoke with the people living in the house, but had seen them around.

A man whose house backs onto the murder scene says they didn’t hear anything. “We were all sleeping.”

As for any problems at the house, he says, “Not that I heard of.”

Police believe the shooting occurred inside the residence, although it is unclear at this point whether either or both of the men lived in the house. The investigation is continuing and no arrests have been made.

This is the second murder in Pickering this year. The body of Khristian Gerri Ottley, 23, of Valley Farm Road was found Jan. 15 in a car in a ravine area off Valley Farm Road, north of Finch Avenue around 4 p.m. No arrest has been made in Mr. Ottley’s murder.

Anyone with information about Saturday’s murder is asked to call the DRPS Homicide Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5326. Anonymous information can be sent to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 and tipsters may be eligible for a $2,000 cash reward.