March for slain daughter, surviving grandson

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This article was published 29/08/2024 (428 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A grieving mother said she hopes to honour her daughter’s memory by starting an annual initiative to benefit the families of missing and murdered Indigenous people.

The first memorial march and fundraiser for Ava Zaber, a 20-year-old mother who was shot and killed last November, is slated to take place Saturday in the North Point Douglas neighbourhood.

“She would want us to continue to help somebody else because that’s the way it should be,” said Donna Rusnak, Zaber’s mother.

Rusnak and her family have organized the event to raise funds for Zaber’s four-year-old son, Landon, who is in the care of his father. They hope to host the fundraiser annually, with each year dedicated to supporting a different family of a missing or murdered Indigenous person.

“I don’t want the victims to be forgotten,” Rusnak said. “We need to be there for each other. Nobody knows what it feels like (to grieve a slain loved one) unless you’ve been through it.”

Zaber was shot inside her home in the 400 block of Burrows Avenue in the early hours of Nov. 21.

Winnipeg homicide detectives arrested Brent Jayden Meade less than a month later at a home on the 500 block of College Avenue, five blocks north of where the shooting occurred.

Zaber knew Meade because he was dating one of her friends, Rusnak said.

He was charged with second-degree murder and remains in police custody.

Police have not laid any additional charges against Meade or other suspects since his arrest. His next court appearance is scheduled for today, records show.

Rusnak said she has not yet laid eyes on the person believed responsible for killing her daughter.

“I just want to stand in front of him and smile and nod. You may have taken my daughter, but… God is going to punish you some way or another,” she said.

Rusnak described her daughter as a kind and generous person and a dedicated mother. Zaber had recently enrolled in a program to complete her Grade 12 education and was working on her final assignment on the night she was killed.

She’d visited her mother earlier that day and the pair discussed the upcoming Christmas holidays. Zaber joked that she was going to sneak a peek at some of the presents Rusnak had already purchased, she said.

“She said, ‘I’ll see you tomorrow’ and tomorrow never came.”

A memorial dedicated to Zaber still sits outside the Burrows Avenue home.

Adorned with a cross and the words “Long live Ava,” it features flowers, photos and gifts for the young mother — including a stuffed monkey, a pair of earrings and candies.

Rusnak described the slaying as senseless, saying it shattered her life and the lives of Zaber’s loved ones.

Zaber was Indigenous and her death is emblematic of a larger issue gripping Manitoba, she said.

The province had the highest rate of Indigenous homicide victims in the country in 2022, data from Statistics Canada shows.

While advocates frequently call for support at the national and provincial levels, more needs to be done within communities to prevent and report crimes, and to support victims, Rusnak said.

“There is so much stuff happening here and everybody just shuts their curtains if they hear something,” she said.

“People have got to stop shutting their doors and shutting their blinds, then feeling bad the next day when you find out a person got killed.”

Saturday’s event will feature a march, food and entertainment. Attendees will have the opportunity to win an assortment of raffle prizes. Rusnak is asking people to donate money to an account established for young Landon.

The event will take place from noon to 5 p.m., beginning at 140 Meade St. All are welcome to attend, and those wishing to donate can contact Rusnak at 431-800-8871 or Kelsey Zaber at 431-999-0719

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca