A prominent Somali Canadian activist was killed in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Wednesday evening.

Almaas Elman, the sister of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Ilwad Elman, was headed to the airport when her vehicle was shot, the New York Times reported.

Her death was confirmed by Brig. Gen. Zakia Hussein, deputy commissioner of the Somali Police Force, who said investigations into the killing were continuing, according to the report.

Global Affairs Canada said officials in Nairobi are in contact with local authorities in Mogadishu about the death of a Canadian.

“Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of the Canadian citizen who died in a shooting in Somalia,” wrote spokesperson Angela Savard in a short statement to the Star.

“Consular officials stand ready to provide consular services to the family.”

The three Elman sisters and their mother immigrated to Canada after their father Elman Ali Ahmad was assassinated in 1996. He had been a peace advocate and an outspoken voice against violence in the East African country. After completing their studies in Canada, the sisters returned to Somalia in large part because they wanted to continue the work of their father at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center.

A Toronto Star feature in 2013 recounted their efforts to rebuild Somalia, helping communities, especially young girls, succeed in a war-torn environment.

In addition to her involvement with the Elman centre, Almaas was serving as a senior communications officer for the European Mission in Somalia. Hours before her death, she had reportedly attended a EU meeting into the well-being of rural communities in Somalia.

On Tuesday, her sister Ilwad addressed the UN Security Council in New York about peace and reconciliation.

This summer, the Elman centre held the first basketball camp in the country organized by the Giants of Africa, the program headed by Toronto Raptors’ president Masai Ujiri.

News of Almaas’ death has left the Somali-Canadian community devastated.

“I knew a great human being, very smart, very polite and very helpful who comes from a family of public servants including her dad who made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Abdirashid Hashi, who runs the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies, a non-partisan think tank that informs public policy and practice in Somalia.

Mohamed Gilao, a community organizer in Toronto who has known the Elman family for a long time, said it was “tragic” to lose someone like Almaas so abruptly in an act of violence.

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“These are very brave girls who worked very hard to engage young people in Somalia, give them skills and encourage them to go to school, fight against female abuse,” he said.

“I feel very sad. It’s shocking.”