Durham police, family of security guard killed at Pickering casino still seeking answers

The family of the Pickering casino security guard who was killed on the job in 2023 is once again pleading for the public’s help with information on the suspect.

At a news conference Monday, Durham Regional Police Service Det.-Sgt. Erik Mamers said the reward for information leading to the arrest of the 20-year-old suspect is $25,000.

“Get counsel. Turn yourself in,” Mamers said. “There's a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest for the charge of second-degree murder, and he's considered to be armed and dangerous.”

Michael Ferdinand, 34, was shot and killed while working at Pickering casino shortly after 5 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2023.

The suspect, identified on Nov. 8, 2023 as Tyjae Nosworthy-Smith, has been on the run since the incident. Police released an image of Nosworthy-Smith, which will only be available for five days due to permissions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He was 17 at the time of the crime.

Nosworthy-Smith is described as a Black man, 5’8”, 110 lbs, with a tattoo on his left elbow. He is of no fixed address and is believed to have ties to the Driftwood community, the Jane and Finch area and Brampton, Ont., Durham police said.

Michael’s wife, Mara, was alongside Durham police Monday. She said her and Michael met working at the same place, when she was just 17.

“I saw him. I thought he was really cute,” Mara said.

On her last day at the job, Michael went up to her.

“He didn't want my contact information. He didn't want to be weird or creepy. But he wanted to tell me that I was the most beautiful person that he had ever seen,” she said. “Because I was super awkward, I asked if I could give him a hug.”

Mara added because they’d been together since they were kids, she didn’t know what to do when he died.

“He was part of me and as an adult I had not been a person without him there,” she said. “Figuring out how to live life without half of me has been daunting, to say the very least.”

Mara said Michael had an ability to make people feel seen and at ease.

"He was a fierce light in this world, making every person and every moment feel like something special,” she said.

Murder 'senseless and devastating,' police say

Michael had only been working as a security guard at the casino since March 2023.

“He was simply doing his job when his life was brutally taken from him,” Mamers said. “Michael's murder was senseless and devastating.”

Mamers added the service owes it to Michael and his family to bring the suspect responsible to justice.

“His death shattered his family. It left a permanent void in the lives of those who loved him, worked alongside him, and depended on him.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.