[3] One of her sisters Ilwad Elman was a short-listed candidate for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.
[3][4] Elman had served in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve prior to her return to Somalia.
[3] Canada's Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen, called news of her death "personally devastating".
[6][7] Elman's death was initially reported as a murder by many news sources, including The New York Times.
[7][8] Within a day of her death the African Union, which controls the territory where the car carrying her was traveling, said they had no reports of opposition elements engaging in hostilities in the area, and describes her being hit by "a stray bullet", from outside.