On the 4th of August, two people were killed and three more injured during a shooting at an after party for Drake’s OVOFest in Toronto. The incident took place in the early hours of the morning outside the nightclub Muzik. Evidence has since surfaced that the female victim, Ariela Navarro-Fenoy, was only at the scene because she was denied a ride by a cab driver because it was only going to be an $8 fare. Currently no arrests have been made.
It has taken him over a week, but Drake has finally released a statement via his blog and attributes his silence to recommendations from his advisors. He says:
The last few days I have been in a moral bind.
I am used to the fact that my life and the things I say to my fans are closely watched. It’s tough in situations like this where there’s a tragedy and I consider the advice of my trusted advisors and counsel who worry that anything I might say could be misinterpreted.
However, today I am choosing to follow my heart.
I am plagued and pained by the violence that continues to escalate in our city. I stare into the eyes of so many young people and I wish to see them all shine as bright as they possibly can in this lifetime. I encourage my generation to show as much value and gratitude as you can for the lives we have been gifted.
My deepest condolences go out to the Navarro-Fenoy and Hibbert families for their loss of Ariela and Duvel. Along with them I send my condolences to all of the families that have lost loved ones to the senseless violence that has and continues to occur in our city.
Although Toronto is globally viewed as a major city, at the core we are still a small close-knit community, and it is our public responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of one another. We need each other to further our communities for generations to come.
I pray for better times and better understanding.
– DRAKE
Check out the full statement here. Toronto police chief Mark Saunders has vehemently urged those who were at the club to come forward. “An appeal for video and pictures from the patrons of the club has yielded very little. Only a few of the thousands of people in the club and immediate area have contacted the homicide investigators,” Saunders said, “We’ve got thousands of people that were present and out of the thousands of people we don’t have that co-operation.”
As Drake breaks his silence, perhaps others will to, and bring some justice to the families involved.