The family of a slain taxi driver has graciously accepted a donation of $77,000 from taxi drivers and the public.
Ziad Bouzid, 45, was shot and killed just after midnight on Nov. 20, 2013 after picking up passengers from Dorval and driving them to Cote des Neiges. His body was later discovered slumped over the steering wheel of his cab on Darlington Ave. He had been shot in the head.
Samia Ali Messaoud accepted the donation on Wednesday, saying she still finds it difficult to believe her husband is dead.
"It's hard, and we're still struggling to believe he's gone," said Messaoud. "It's still not completely in my head to believe that we're living without him, but regardless we try."
She also said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity by her husband’s colleagues, his company and strangers.
“It was comforting to have the whole community by my side,” she said. “It's something positive in my life, and in the lives of my children.”
Messaoud and Bouzid had three children together: an 18-year-old girl, an 11-year-old son, and a 7-year-old boy with autism.
Fellow drivers, moved by the murder and wanting to help his family, collected roughly $22,000 to donate to his widow and three children, an amount that was matched by Bouzid's company, Diamond Taxi.
An additional $33,000 was donated by members of the public wanting to help Bouzid's family.
"Me, myself and my partner, our employees, we were so touched by this situation," said Diamond Taxi's Dominique Roy.
"We were so sad about this situation. It's something that doesn't happen often but still one time is one time too many, and we felt at that time we had to do something for the family and ease their pain as much as we could."
Michel Duchaussoy was arrested less than 48 hours after the attack and charged with second-degree murder.
The 43-year-old remains in custody pending a trial.
