Shammal Ramsey Tribute

from CTV.ca

Shammal Ramsey was a good kid who loved to dress well and wanted to pursue a career in fashion design.

"He was no gangster," said his older sister. "He's no drug dealer. He was just a guy trying to make a better life."

Ramsey, 19, was gunned down Wednesday morning at the corner of McLevin Avenue and Sewell's Road, not far from his home in Scarborough's Malvern community. He was pronounced dead in hospital.

The woman, who didn't give her name, said she was upset the police said her brother was known to them for previous drug charges.

She said her brother was trying to turn things around.

"He might have done a few misdemeanors but not anymore," she told CTV.ca when contacted at home. "He was my baby brother and I was proud of him."

Police released a picture of the teen dressed in a suit.

His sister said the photo was taken at a fashion show he was modelling in. Ramsey wanted to be a fashion designer, she said, and was taking courses at a local college.

She laughed when she was asked if Ramsey had still been living at home.

"He wasn't going anywhere," she said. "He's a mama's boy."

His mother Sandra answered the phone Thursday morning but said she was too distraught to speak for the moment.

Ramsey's sister became upset when she spoke about her brother and the public's perception that he might have been a troublemaker. She blamed the police for painting a negative image.

"Not all black kids are like that," she said. "He's not a violent kid, he's not. My brother wasn't a gangster. He kept to himself."