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July 29, 2022 • 1 day ago • 3 minutes read • 9 comments Subhi Kutob says his business partner Riham Kamil is lucky to be alive after being shot near the heart in what Kutob believes was a botched attempt for a carjacking or robbery at RK Forever Jewelery on Wonder Road on Wednesday. Photo taken on Thursday, July 29, 2022. (JONATHAN JUHA/The London Free Press)
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The brother of a London jeweler shot dead in an apparent attempted carjacking or robbery says he wants to see better police protection for the industry after a spate of violence involving jewelery shops in the city this year.
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Riham Kamil, owner of RK Forever Jewelery on Wonderland Road, was shot dead after closing the shop on Wednesday, fled in a Porsche after four masked men tried to get into the car, which was blocked by another vehicle, with a fifth person inside. security footage reviewed by The Free Press shows.
The bullet struck Kamil, 34, about a centimeter from his heart, an injury so serious he may need a second operation after doctors discovered internal bleeding, Kamil’s brother Aram said Friday.
“I would like to see the police chief come out and make a public statement about what the police plan to do about it,” said Aram, who owns a jewelry business in Toronto.
“Within two weeks, two jewels were hit (in London), so it’s clear they’re being targeted,” he said.
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London police have not said the shooting was the result of a botched robbery, but Aram and Kamil’s business partner Subhi Kutob says he believes it was.
“They don’t just come to steal. They come to take lives if they don’t get what they want,” Aram said. “And they are not afraid. They don’t think there’s any impact.”
If the suspects intended to rob the jewelry store, it would make it the third such store attacked by armed robbers this year.
Ronaldo’s jewelery was robbed on March 25 when several suspects armed with handguns entered the store on Wharncliffe Road North. Three Toronto-area men have been charged in connection with a robbery that left one person with minor injuries after one offender pistol-whipped an employee.
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Bella Jewelry in Lambeth was attacked on July 11, with police searching for four suspects in this investigation.
Simon Naifeh owns the business on the high street and fought off would-be thieves who entered his shop. He said he was shocked to hear about the violence that took place outside RK Forever on Wednesday.
“I hope the police are taking this very seriously,” he said. “I’m very scared, to be honest with you. I don’t feel comfortable; I no longer concentrate on my work.”
Naifeh said he is investing $50,000 in additional security, including adding reinforced glass to all displays in his store. He also hired a man to guard the entrance and check customers before they entered.
Police said Friday they had not determined whether the confrontations this week and in June were related or whether the suspects were members of organized crime.
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“We are continuing to investigate and look at all avenues, including a motive and any potential links to any other criminal activity that have not been established at this time,” police spokesman Const. Kyrsten Howell-Harries wrote in an emailed statement.
Asked about Aram Kamil’s comments about the need for police to do a better job of protecting jewelry stores, Howell-Harris said: “We have no further information or comment to provide at this time.”
Police renewed their appeal for anyone with information about Wednesday’s drama to come forward to help find the five suspects they are looking for, four of whom were captured on surveillance video released by police.
Police are also looking for a blue Acura sedan, also captured on video, that was seen taking off from Wonderland after the shooting.
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Anyone with information can call 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Drivers in the area around the time of the shooting are being asked to check dash cam footage for images of the Acura sedan.
WEDNESDAY’S SHOOTING: SUSPECT DESCRIPTIONS
– A black male with a thin build wearing a dark blue Puma hooded sweatshirt, dark gray or black sweatpants and white shoes
– White male wearing a black Puma hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and a surgical mask
– White male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and gray sweatpants
– A man wearing a blue and black windbreaker, black pants, white shoes and a white mask or face covering
– A fifth suspect is being sought, who did not leave the vehicle and for whom there is no description
With files from Free Press reporter Dale Carruthers
jjuha@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/JuhaatLFPress
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