Halifax police seek two suspects after boy, 8, killed in shooting
HALIFAX — Community members in a Halifax suburb were in disbelief Wednesday after an eightyear-old boy known for his infectious smile was shot dead while inside a vehicle with an adult.
Halifax police identified the child shot Tuesday afternoon in Dartmouth, N.S., as Lee-Marion Cain. A 26-year-old man who was with Lee-Marion was also shot and was treated for non-lifethreatening injuries.
Colter Simmonds, a cousin of the boy’s father, said Lee-Marion often went by his nickname “MarMar” in the community of North Preston, outside Halifax.
“I’m feeling shock and disbelief. We’re family. We’re a close family,” Simmonds said.
“When an eight-year-old gets shot, there has to be questions and there has to be answers.
“He was pure and innocent, had a beautiful smile and was smart and witty. It is a bright future taken away. It’s senseless,” Simmonds added.
Halifax police are looking for two suspects connected to the shooting. They are described as Black men and were driving a burgundy SUV, possibly a Chevrolet, with tinted windows.
Officers responded to a report of gunfire on Tuesday at around 4 p.m. near the intersection of Windmill Road and Waddell Avenue in Dartmouth.
Const. John MacLeod said at a news conference that shots were fired from one vehicle into another, hitting both Lee-Marion, who died after being transported to hospital, and the man. He said investigators do not believe it to be a random shooting.
“Yesterday’s tragic incident has affected many in our community. We want the public to know that we’re making every effort possible to further this investigation,” MacLeod said. “Our thoughts are with the family during this tragic loss.”
Quentrel Provo, an anti-violence advocate in Halifax, wrote on Twitter that the young boy was his cousin.
“Every killing over the years has hurt me deeply, but this one has broken me in a way I’ve never thought possible,” he wrote. “My little cousin ‘MarMar’ was only eight years old, full of love and life.”
No arrests have been made, and MacLeod asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact police as the investigation continues.
He would not say what the connection was between the man who was injured and LeeMarion.
Simmonds, who is the technical director of Basketball Nova Scotia, last saw the boy in September, when they exchanged a handshake.
He said he’d occasionally see him in the community over by a basketball court. “He was full of potential and a very smart kid,” Simmonds said.