Mom speaks out three years after daughter's unsolved shooting
Melissa Robertson is pushing for answers in the 2023 death of her 21-year-old daughter Mya, killed alongside Mohamed Fofanah in what police link to gang violence.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Melissa Robertson has spent three years watching her daughter's case fade from public view while others in the same circle of violence dominate the conversation.
Mya Robertson was 21 when she and her then-boyfriend Mohamed Fofanah were shot to death on March 7, 2023, near 132A Avenue and 66 Street. The two were parked and waiting for police to respond to a minor fender bender when someone opened fire on their vehicle. Edmonton police homicide detective Jared Buhler later described them as "sitting duck(s)." Fofanah's name became the focal point of community attention—he had lost his brother to homicide just six months before. Mya's name, Robertson said, "faded into the background."
Robertson grew up in south Edmonton, attended J. Percy Page High School, and was taking upgrading courses hoping to study social work. She worked at a pet store and competed in ballet, jazz, and hip-hop dancing. "When she hit 21 she was like, 'OK, I'm ready to start looking at what life can look like for me,'" her mother said.
Police believe the shootings are connected to retaliatory violence between Edmonton-based groups. A week later, 20-year-old Usama Ibrahinadan was shot in what police say was a case of mistaken identity—the shooter believed he was a friend of Fofanah's. But Mya was not part of that world, Robertson said. "She may have known something, I don't know, but at that age, do you (really) know how grave and severe something could be?"
Robertson now attends meetings of the Victims of Homicide Support Society. The gatherings are a lifeline—rooms full of people who understand her loss—but they also break her heart. "When I look at how many people in the room are saying 'our cases aren't solved, our cases aren't solved, our cases are cold,' it really deteriorates your hope."
She's asking anyone with information to come forward, no matter how small it seems. "Their courage could make the difference," she said.
Edmonton police homicide detectives continue to investigate.