Funeral for teen slain in Downsview apartment
By Chris Doucette
TORONTO - Khalfani Haughton was a talented young man with a promising future, those who knew and loved him say. The 18-year-old, better known as Jordan to his friends and family, hoped to pursue a music career but that dream ended senselessly when he was stabbed to death at a Downsview apartment building a little over a week ago. “I have to pray that God will help me to forgive the person that took my son’s life...forgiveness is key,” Fitzgerald “Mike” Haughton said Saturday at Jordan’s funeral. The grief-stricken father was among about 200 mourners who gathered at the Peace Community Church, near Weston Rd. and St. Clair Ave. W., to say their final goodbyes to the teen. “Jordan had a calm spirit, a gentle spirit...,” Haughton said, adding his son also had a big heart and “zeal to succeed.” The teen, who worked at a grocery store, was stabbed to death Aug. 10 at 1130 Wilson Ave., near Keele St. Toronto Police have said Jordan was involved in an altercation with a man in an apartment. The Rexdale youth stumbled out of the apartment with multiple stab wounds and collapsed in the hall. Few other details have been released. However, it’s believed the apartment was the home of a woman who occasionally babysat one of Jordan’s younger siblings. The man he allegedly argued with is the woman’s husband. Exactly what sparked the deadly argument remains a mystery. But Derrick Oram, 37, faces a charge of second-degree murder and remains in custody. Saturday’s two-hour funeral service was filled with tributes from those closest to Jordan, including best friend Matthew Russell. “Jordan was more than a friend to me,” the teen said. “We were the best of friends.” He and Jordan were in a hip-hop group together called CheckMate. Russell said his pal was the kind of friend others wish they had. “Jordan changed my life by introducing me to music and to writing,” he said, before playing a song he wrote for his slain friend. Joseph Johnson said he couldn’t have asked for any more from a big brother. He was “always there” for me and my other siblings, he said, adding he admired his brother and wanted to be just like him. “Jordan, I love you, I miss you, but I shall never forget you,” Johnson said.
