More than a year after the dine-and-dash killing of a popular restaurant in Owen Sound, Ont., rocked the community a year and a half ago, police have charged three men from the United Kingdom.
Robert Evans, 24, has been charged with murder, and Robert Busby Evans, 47, and Barry Evans, 54, have been charged with accessory after the fact in the Sharif Rahman case, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and city detectives said Wednesday.
The three accused were in Canada on visitor visas and left the country shortly after the August 2023 attack, said OPP Det. Insp. Jane Conway, Principal Investigator.
Rahman, 44, a husband and father of a young daughter, was attacked outside Curry House in downtown Owen Sound on Aug. 17, 2023, and later died at a London, Ont., hospital. Police and a witness said it happened during a dispute over an unpaid meal bill totaling about $150.
“The individuals are currently in the UK and are in court in relation to extradition. No time frame is available for the extradition of the accused individuals,” police said in a statement.
But questions remain:
- What exactly were the three men doing in Canada?
- How long were they in Canada and when did they leave?
- Their relationship with each other.
- Where are the men from the United Kingdom and where were they arrested?
- When they will be extradited to Canada.
In a statement read by an official on Wednesday, Rahman's wife Shailela Nasreen thanked law enforcement for their work.
“I am grateful to the community and I am hopeful that justice will be served,” said Nasreen, who runs a restaurant.
In the days following the attack, police treated Rahman's death as a homicide. They released surveillance footage of a suspect fleeing the scene and the suspect vehicle.
Almost a year later, on August 15, police said they had made arrests but declined to say who or how many people had been detained or charged.
Rahman's death prompted an outpouring of grief and support for his family. Hundreds of people took to the streets for his cremation.
“This incident had a huge impact on our community,” said Owen Sound Police Chief Craig Ambrose.
“This was the third homicide in six weeks in the summer of 2023. It overwhelmed our capabilities for a while, hence the involvement of the OPP.”
He added that he was proud of the Owen Sound and provincial police officers who worked to make the arrest.
On Wednesday, police said they were receiving assistance from Interpol, the Ottawa Fugitive Apprehension Support Team and members of UK law enforcement from the National Crime Agency and Police Scotland's National Extradition Unit.
The Sharifur Rahman Memorial Scholarship was launched this past summer with a gift from an anonymous donor to continue Rahman's legacy of civic engagement.
Rahman, who came to Canada a decade ago from Bangladesh, has made a name for himself as a generous giver by donating food and volunteering.
