'We're having nightmares:' Family of teen boy fatally stabbed in Toronto's east end speaks out

Julia Alevato · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 13, 2025 5:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

The household of a 14-year-old lad who was fatally stabbed successful the city's eastbound extremity past play said helium was a "good boy" who had large dreams for his future. 

Abdoul Aziz Sarr, of Toronto, was stabbed adjacent a McDonald's successful the country of Eastern and Woodward avenues conscionable aft 10 p.m. connected July 5. He died successful hospital, Toronto constabulary said. 

His begetter said helium recovered retired Abdoul had been stabbed aft seeing a video connected societal media that showed the lad injured astatine the accelerated nutrient restaurant.

"I was shaking, my assemblage was shaking," said Samane Sarr. 

He and his household made their mode to the hospital, wherever a doc told them that his lad had passed away. 

"Doctor was crying similar a baby. I've ne'er seen a doc crying similar that," said Sarr. "I cognize helium did his best."

Sarr said Abdoul was a nice, friendly, comic lad who was ever laughing and liked being astir family. He said his lad wanted to go a operation idiosyncratic to physique a location for his mother.

Muhamed Sarr, Abdoul's older brother, said he's struggling to process that his member is gone.

"I truly miss him," helium said. "We did everything together, we slept successful the aforesaid room, we slept successful the aforesaid furniture sometimes."

Taha Butt, Abdoul's friend, said he liked playing hoops and was excited to spell to precocious schoolhouse and "progress successful life." 

He said that erstwhile helium heard Abdoul had been stabbed, it didn't adjacent transverse his caput that the lad could die. Hours later, erstwhile helium recovered retired his person didn't marque it, helium said helium was speechless. 

"I had ne'er mislaid idiosyncratic who was that adjacent to me, successful specified a tragic way, before. When I recovered out, I couldn't adjacent speak," said Butt.

Two teenagers charged 

Police said 2 16-year-old boys person been arrested and charged with first-degree execution successful transportation with Abdoul's death. Sarr said helium is not aggravated astatine the radical responsible. 

"Maybe they did a mistake. Maybe their volition was not to termination Abdoul," helium said.

The incidental happened conscionable crossed the thoroughfare from the African euphony festival, AfroFest. Sarr said that Abdoul went to the festival with immoderate cousins, but they got separated, and the remainder of the radical couldn't find him.

His cousin, Alassane Sambe, was with him astatine the festival and said helium felt blameworthy erstwhile helium recovered retired what happened. 

"I was feeling blameworthy due to the fact that I was the 1 with him, we were together, and his parents had ever trusted me," said Sambe. 

Abdoul's aunt said she could ne'er person imagined that an incidental similar that would person ever happened to her nephew. She said his decease has been truly hard for her family. 

"We can't slumber anymore, we're having nightmares," said Maimouna Sambe.