Durham police are offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in a deadly 2023 Oshawa shooting, as the victim’s mother says her family has been living through “the worst nightmare.”
Investigators announced the reward during an update Wednesday, saying the killing of 30-year-old Michael Nigris was “targeted” and “deliberate.”
Police say they have zeroed in on two suspects, both of whom have ties to Toronto, but no arrests have been made.
Speaking at the news conference, Nigris’ mother, Kerena Randle, said she has been left “irreparably broken” in the aftermath of the shooting.
“We’ve missed three years, three birthdays, three Christmases. We are at our lowest and weakest, while having to be the strongest that we have ever been,” she said, as she urged the suspects to turn themselves in to police.
“To these people: you need to come forward. (It’s) the only morally right thing that you can do before the legal and karmic repercussions come your way.”
Motive unclear
Nigris had just finished his shift at Cash Connections pawn shop near King Street West and Park Road South when he was shot in the head in the plaza parking lot on the night of March 30.
Homicide Det. Sgt. Erik Mamers said a stolen black Ford F-150 Raptor, believed to be connected to the murder, was later found abandoned on Dundee Avenue in Oshawa.
Mamers said that hundreds of hours of video have been reviewed and multiple interviews have been conducted following the shooting, none of which has revealed anything to suggest why Nigris was targeted.
“Michael was simply leaving work when his life was tragically taken from him,” Mamers said.
Investigators believe that both suspects have ties to the area of Lawrence Avenue West and Keele Street in Toronto.
Mamers said one suspect is believed to be the one who shot and killed Nigris, while the other is believed to have been associated with the stolen vehicle. He said police have not identified either suspect.
“If you saw these individuals or recognize the vehicle or have any information at all, we need to hear from you,” he said.
