THUNDER BAY - A violent assault that claimed the life of 16-year-old Kody Furioso and severely injured a 17-year-old male has left a south side neighbourhood shaken, and community members are inviting the people of Thunder Bay to help remember the young victims and speak out against ongoing violence.
“I’ve lived in Westfort all my life and I know many people have been impacted by this death,” said Jennifer Reid, one of the organizers of the vigil for Furioso and the other teen victim.
“I don’t personally know this family, I know some of them, but as someone who lives here and who has raised their children and now grandchildren, this is a terrible tragedy that hit everybody so hard. We wanted to do something for the family to let them know how we all feel.”
The vigil will be held Saturday evening at 10 p.m. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, an in-person vigil at the underpass on James Street was not permitted, so organizers are asking people to light a candle at the end of their driveway and sing This Little Light of Mine.
“We thought this was a great way to get around that and have the whole community and Thunder Bay express their compassion and condolences and memories of Kody and his family,” said Wayne Sajna Hebert, who also helped organize the vigil.
“We are hoping not just Westforters but people in other neighbourhoods do and there are other communities across Canada who are participating as well.”
Kody died on June 29 following an altercation on South James Street. Thunder Bay Police Service responded to reports of a disturbance at approximately 12:20 a.m. After arriving at the scene, police found Furioso and a 17-year-old male with serious injuries and they were transported to hospital.
Furioso succumbed to his injuries and the other victim’s injuries were said to be serious.
Police located 31-year-old Dustin Denis Moffatt in the area later on the morning of June 29 and he was arrested for unrelated outstanding warrants. Upon further investigation he was charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and breach of probation in connection to the incident.
Reid and Sajna Hebert said Westfort is a very close community and these kinds of incidents affect everyone and unfortunately it is something that is happening more and more often.
“We’ve noticed over the last couple of years the violence and the robberies and the addiction that’s really affecting our community in Westfort itself,” Reid said.
“It’s never been so prevalent as it’s been now and more violent crimes are happening in our neighbourhood. We want to get together as a neighbourhood and send a message that we are a community that stands strong and we are not going to tolerate this and we are behind everybody.”
A fundraiser has been set up in memory of Kody Furioso. It has already raised $14,170, surpassing its goal of $10,000. Anyone wishing to donate can visit the In Loving Memory of Kody Furioso Go Fund Me page.
