The family of a Pickering casino security guard who was killed on the job in 2023 is again pleading with the public for information about the suspect.
At a news conference Monday, Durham Regional Police Sgt. Erik Mamers said there is a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the 20-year-old suspect.
“Ask for advice. Turn yourself in,” Mammoth said. “A nationwide warrant is issued for his arrest across Canada on a charge of second-degree murder and he is considered armed and dangerous.”
Michael Ferdinand, 34, was shot to death just after 5 a.m. on October 9, 2023, while working at the Pickering Casino.
The suspect, identified as Tyjae Nosworthy-Smith, has been on the run since the incident on November 8, 2023. Police released a photo of Nosworthy-Smith, but it could only be released for five days due to permission under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He was 17 years old at the time of the crime.
Police released a photo of Nosworthy-Smith, but it could only be released for five days due to permission under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. (Martin Trainor/CBC)
Noseworthy-Smith is described as a black man, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 110 pounds and with a tattoo on his left elbow. Durham police said he has no fixed address and is believed to have ties to the Driftwood community, the Jane and Finch area and Brampton, Ont.
Michael’s wife, Marla Ferdinand, was with Durham police on Monday. She said she met Michael when she was 17 when they worked at the same place.
“I saw him. I thought he was really cute,” Marla said.
On her last day on the job, Michael walked up to her.
“He didn’t want my contact information. He didn’t want to be weird or creepy. But he wanted to tell me that I was the most beautiful person he had ever seen,” she said. “Because I was so embarrassed, I asked if I could give him a hug.”
Mara added that because they had been together since childhood, she didn’t know what to do when he died.
“He’s a part of me, as an adult, and I’m not a person without him,” she said. “Figuring out how to live without me was daunting, to say the least.”
Detective Sgt. Eric Mamers said Ferdinand and his family have a responsibility to bring the suspect to justice. (Martin Trainor/CBC)
Marla said Michael had the ability to make people feel seen and relaxed.
“He was a strong light in this world and made every person and every moment feel special,” she said.
Police call murder ‘senseless and devastating’
Michael has only been working as a security guard at the casino since March 2023.
“He was just doing his job when his life was brutally taken,” Mammers said. “Michael’s murder was senseless and devastating.”
Mammers added that the department has a responsibility to bring Michael and his family to justice.
“His death has torn his family apart. It has left a permanent void in the lives of those who loved him, worked with him and relied on him.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
