Parents of teen killed in Winnipeg home invasion came to Canada for better life

WINNIPEG — A Manitoba politician says the parents of a teenager killed during a random home invasion came to the province looking for the Canadian dream — a better life for their only child.

“What do you do after this?” Jon Reyes, a government legislature member, said Tuesday.

“Their bakery is now closed for a week and they are not thinking about their business anymore. They are thinking about their son who was supposed to graduate this year.”

Jaime Adao, 17, was with his grandmother when someone broke in to the family’s Winnipeg home on Sunday night. Police said his parents were out at the time and the boy managed to call 911 for help.

Const. Rob Carver said Monday that hearing the recording of the 911 call was difficult and something he would “never personally get over.”

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Officers arrived within four minutes of the call and found the boy being attacked with a weapon. Officers shot at the attacker. Both he and the teen were rushed to hospital.

Adao died of his injuries. A 29-year-old suspect is in hospital and police have said charges are pending.

Reyes said the Adao family is like many others in the city’s large and vibrant Filipino business community. They came to Manitoba through the provincial nominee program as labourers and eventually opened two successful bakeries.

Jamie often worked at Jimel’s bakeries, said Reyes, and the family always opened their home and business to support others in the community.

“This is a success story, true immigrant success story. They come here and they want to give a better life (to) their child.”

For Jamie to be killed, Reyes said, is very sad.

Members of the city’s Filipino community took to social media to share their shock over what police called a senseless killing. They remembered the teenager, who was a Grade 12 student at Technical Vocational High School, as someone who was well-liked and touched many people’s lives.

A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the parents said it also wanted to start a baking class in memory of the teen, who was often called “Jimboy.”

“We know that baking is very close to his heart and he has so much love and passion for it,” said the fundraising page.

“It was so unfortunate that a very innocent, God-fearing, loving, sweet, respectful kid, a very kind 17-year-old boy, full of life, with wonderful vision and dreams will suddenly, brutally die (by) someone’s hand.

“His life was taken just like that.”

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press