Family of Joshua Tarnue still seeking answers following alleged killer’s arrest

Joshua Tarnue’s family is still wondering why he was targeted, almost 10 months after the 18-year-old was killed in a downtown Kitchener parking lot.

Emergency responders found Tarnue with a gunshot wound near Queen and Charles streets on Aug. 13, 2023. He was later pronounced dead in hospital.

The following month, two men who police haven’t named were charged with manslaughter in the case. A Canada-wide warrant was also issued for Habiton Solomon of Hamilton, who was wanted for second-degree murder.

There were no public updates on the case for months, but then on May 31, 2024, Solomon was arrested in connection to a different shooting in Hamilton. Police have confirmed he’s facing five gun charges related to an incident there on July 22, 2023.

On June 4, Waterloo Regional Police officially charged Solomon for second degree murder.

MORE: Look back at the timeline of shooting and arrests in the case

“Still not going to bring my child back”

Evelyn Woart, Tarnue’s mother, said it’s been difficult waiting for Solomon’s arrest.

“As time went on, and we couldn’t get the person that killed Joshua, it was very, very hard for me,” she explained. “I’ve been going along with this up until this time, praying and wanting this guy to get arrested.”

When Woart heard the update last week, she felt one small step closer to justice for her son.

“It gives me peace of mind that the person has been caught, but it’s still not going to bring my child back to me. And it’s still not going to heal the pain that I have – that’s something that I will have to live with forever,” she said. “I feel like I failed my child. Bringing him from a place like Africa, and then bringing him here to die. I blame myself. Why didn’t I leave him there? I had to bring him here. So all of those things, I don’t think that’s something that will heal so easily for me. Until justice is done, then maybe.”

Woart doesn’t know what the connection was between her son and Solomon.  

She also doesn’t know the answer to one looming question – why did this happen to Joshua?

“I never got that answer,” Woart said. “I’m hoping that since they have gotten [Solomon] arrested, maybe we’ll get the answer to why he did it. What would a child do that would deserve killing him?”

Joshua Tarnue's family on June 7, 2024.

Jikulunu Jorgbo, Joshua’s step-sister, said the family has been anxiously waiting this arrest.

“We’ve heard other stories about how this goes on and on for many years and they never catch whoever commits such a crime like this,” she said. “To know in our case, in less than a year, police were diligent in doing their work and they caught this individual. It’s huge, huge relief for sure.”

Remembering Joshua

Tarnue’s family has been trying to come to terms with his death since that awful night.

“When I heard that my son Joshua was murdered, at first I didn’t believe it happened,” Woart said. “The first question that I asked myself was ‘how can I undo this?’”

To his mom, Tarnue was a major source of happiness.

“Sometimes when I wake up, I think he’s there or making tea, or he’s cleaning or trying to find something to make me happy,” she explained. “He loved people. He loved to see people happy, and he’d do anything to make friends happy.”

Woart said Joshua loved dancing and football, and was just getting into basketball at the time of his death.

“I was trying to enroll in a team, but we never got to do that,” Woart recalled.

Cooking was another hobby that Tarnue exceled in – most of the time.

“There’s a kind of soup we have in our [culture] called palm soup. That was the only soup he couldn’t cook. He would say ‘mom, I don’t know how to cook this one,” Woart said with a laugh. “One time he tried it, and it just wasn’t done right.”

Evelyn Woart, Joshua Tarnue’s mother, sits behind photos of her son on June 7, 2024.

To many of his family and friends, Tarnue is remembered as a quiet and kind person.

“My memory of him was a very quiet, calm individual,” Jorgbo said. “I could not get a word out of him. The goal and the plan was to get him coming to church often in order to pick him up and grow a connection with him. Obviously that didn’t get to happen because now he’s not here.”

The next chapter of this case will be the court proceedings. Tarnue’s family hopes that’s when their questions will finally be answered.

As the legal case plays out, they’ll continue to reflect on all the happy memories they had with Tarnue. They’ll also continue to rely on the support of their community, which has helped them through this tragedy.

“For something as major as this, to have them present throughout the entire journey has been such a blessing. Not just to the families here, but for the family back home because they knew that we had a support system,” Jorgbo said.  

Tarnue’s mother is working on opening a soup kitchen both in Africa and in the Kitchener area in honour of her son.