Police seek help retracing homicide victim's last steps

Ottawa police are trying to retrace Opiny P'ochieng's last steps in order to find his killer, and they're asking for the public's help.

P'ochieng, 49,was last seen alive at about3 a.m. Saturday at an Ultramargas station near Montreal Road and Cantin Street. About 30 minutes later a passerby found his body atthe side of Russell Roadnear SouthvaleCrescent, some sixkilometres away.

An autopsy conducted Saturday afternoonconfirmedP'ochienghad beenshot to death. Detectives say they don't know where the shooting took place.

He had no business being there that time of night.- Ottawa police Staff Sgt. Bruce Pirt

P'ochieng, who was originally from South Sudan,didn't own a car, and buses weren't running at that time. Investigators are asking residents and business owners near the gas station where he was last seen to scour security camera footage that might offer clues.

Victim 'Wouldn't hurt a fly'

8 years ago

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P'Ochieng's former landlord, Luis Desousa, and Emilio Goncalves, the owner of Cafe Caco where P'Ochieng visited every Friday, say he was an ideal tenant and customer.

Staff Sgt. Bruce Pirt of the major crimeunit said P'ochiengwas an unlikely victim, and said it wasunusual for him to venture so far from Vanier, where he lived.

"We want to know how he got to Russell Road, why, and who brought him there," Pirtsaid."He had no business being there that time of night."

'A very excellent guy'

P'ochieng'sfriends were still reeling Monday.

Emilio Goncalves owns Cafe Caco, a sports bar on Montreal Road where he saidP'ochienghad been a weekly fixture for 15 years.

"He's one of the best customers I have. He's a nice guy...a very quiet guy. We just received the notice today and I was shocked, because he was an excellent guy, a very excellent guy," saidGoncalves, who added thatP'ochiengworked as a cleaner and had a sister in Calgary, but no relatives in Ottawa.

P'ochieng was always cheerful and was happiest when singing karaoke and dancing at the bar,Goncalves said.

Goncalvesbumped into P'ochienglast week, and told Goncalveshe'd be in for a beer. Instead, police officers came to the bar on the weekend to ask aboutP'ochieng'slast known whereabouts.

The victim's former landlord, Luis Desousa, also expressedshock at P'ochieng's death.Desousaowns a rooming house in Vanier and rented to P'ochiengfor nearly a decade. He saidP'ochiengoften volunteered to help him with landscaping and small repairs around the building.

"I have nothing bad to say about him. He was a good tenant, paid on time, never had a conflict with him at all,"Desousasaid. "That man would not hurt a fly,so it's hard to believe. How could somebody do this to a person like that?"

P'ochieng is Ottawa's 12thhomicide victim of 2018.

Ottawa police are asking anyone who may have seen P'ochiengbefore his death to call the major crimeunit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5493.