Defense Argues Youth Accused Not Responsible for Rapper's Death
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
A man being tried as a youth for the 2018 killings of Jahvante Smart and Ernest Modekwe claims he fired in reaction to Smart starting the shooting.
As first reported by CBC Toronto, a 24-year-old man, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is facing two counts of second-degree murder for his role in a June 30, 2018, shooting on Queen Street West in Toronto.
The man, who was 16 at the time of the incident, is being tried following the conviction of co-accused Abdulkadir Handule. In February 2022, Handule, who was 22 at the time, was sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 20 years after being convicted of discharge of a firearm with intent, aggravated assault, and two counts of second-degree murder.
The victims were 21-year-old rapper Jahvante Smart, known as Smoke Dawg, and 28-year-old brand manager Ernest Modekwe, known as Koba Prime. An agreed statement of facts detailed in the CBC Toronto report notes that Smart and Handule engaged in a verbal altercation outside the Cube nightclub. The statement says Smart fired first, prompting the youth accused to immediately fire back. Handule then allegedly shot Smart in the back of the head, which was the cause of death. Modekwe was also fatally shot in the back.
Defense lawyer Gary Grill argued that the shots were sudden and that the accused is not guilty of second-degree murder, though Grill conceded his client is guilty of aggravated assault. The accused is also charged with wounding a bystander in the leg. After fleeing Ontario, the man was arrested in Alberta in 2025. Justice Michael Dineen is presiding over the case in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and is expected to deliver a ruling in November.