A gentle giant is how those closest to Ernest “Kosi” Modekwe remember him, a 28-year-old man who supported his family and was looking forward to having children of his own one day.

Also known as Koba Prime, Modekwe was one of two Toronto men — along with Jahvante Smart, a.k.a. rapper Smoke Dawg — killed in a daylight shooting at Queen St. W. and Peter St. on Saturday that had people in the crowded downtown area scrambling for safety.

“No one could ever say they had a problem with him, he was everyone’s go-to person, he had a personal friendship with everybody,” his girlfriend of almost five years, Tyneesha Du, told the Star Monday.

“He would always help out any way he could, he never cared about himself, everything was always about other people.”

A GoFundMe page set up to raise funds to cover funeral and memorial costs had reached nearly $4,000 of its $80,000 goal by Monday evening. Another GoFund me page, for 21-year-old Smart, the father of a 1-year-old daughter and who collaborated with Toronto superstar Drake, had raised $11,000 of its $50,000 goal.

Modekwe had been trying to attend a party with Smoke Dawg and others at Cube nightclub when the shooting happened, said his younger sister, Chinasa.

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“Someone decided just to pull up and decided that they needed to take two people’s lives,” she said.

Police have released few details about the shooting, the first of two shootings in popular downtown areas over the Canada Day long weekend. No description of the suspects in Saturday’s shooting has been released.

Born into a family that emigrated from Nigeria, Modekwe played a big role in the life of his younger brother, who has autism, especially after their parents separated, Du said.

“He drove him everywhere he needed to go, all his appointments, he basically raised him,” she said. “It breaks my heart that he never got to be a dad because all he wanted was to have a family. He always talked about wanting to have children of his own one day.”

After a string of shootings in Toronto, Mayor John Tory says efforts are being made to get “gangsters” off the street. Tory says the city is still “generally safe.” (The Canadian Press)

His mother was also very important to him; his sister said he would help her pay the bills, while Du said he would bring his mom out with them on dates so she wasn’t alone.

A basketball star in high school, he would go on to graduate with honours in criminology from the University of Toronto, said his sister Chinasa. He also studied graphic design at Humber College, and had his own clothing line.

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“He was so ambitious and driven and nothing really stopped him from achieving what he wanted to achieve,” Chinasa said. “If he wanted something, he would get it.”

She described her brother as a multitasker; aside from the clothing line, he was also an assistant manager with the rap collective Prime and well known in Toronto’s hip-hop community.

A vigil was held for Modekwe on Sunday night in Etobicoke, while one was set to take place for Smart on Monday evening.

“I’m just trying to take it one day at a time, and really be there for his family, they need me,” Du said. “They’re my family for life now, I want to make sure that they’re always OK. At the end of the day, they’re the closest thing to Kosi that I’ll have.”

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