Police call for witnesses to come forward in connection with Yellowknife murder

RCMP say the August, 2022 murder is part of a sharp rise in handgun violence


Yellowknife RCMP detachment exterior. (CKLB file photo.)

Northwest Territories RCMP are making a public appeal for witnesses to come forward in connection with an unsolved murder from August of last year.

Thirty-six-year-old Faysal Farah was found shot to death at a Yellowknife apartment shortly after 2 a.m. on Aug. 20. Police say multiple witnesses were at the scene at the time of Farah’s death, but they have not been cooperating with police.

Although police aren’t looking for new information from the public, on Tuesday the RCMP issued a statement renewing calls for witnesses to come forward.

“This family needs answers about what happened to their loved one,” reads a statement from Constable Alexander Fanning of the Major Crime Unit. “We are going to investigate this matter to the fullest extent to try and bring some sense of closure to them. If you were there and have information that can help provide answers, do the right thing, and call the police.”

They say the use of a gun in this crime is part of a trend, with the number of illegal handgun seizures across the territory nearly tripling between 2021 and 2022, from nine to 25.

Anyone with information to share is asked to contact Yellowknife RCMP at 867-669-1111.

About the Author

Ian Down
Ian Down is a general news reporter from the West Island of Montreal. After studying journalism and computer science at Concordia University, he came to Yellowknife in 2021, joining the CKLB team in September 2022. When not behind his desk, you can find him at a local Yellowknife poetry reading, or annoying his roommates by playing his clarinet at odd hours. Feel free to reach out with any tips or story ideas at ian.down@cklb.com, or follow him on Twitter at @IanDown1996.