A fundraising effort is underway to support the family of Ahmad Nourani Shallo, the husband of a woman killed in a hit-and-run while trying to stop a gas-and-dash in northwest Calgary.
Shallo died in a motor vehicle crash earlier this month. He was travelling from Vancouver to Calgary with his new wife Somayeh and his eight-year-old son Koorosh to visit Rashidi’s gravesite on the second anniversary of her death.
READ MORE: Husband of Calgary gas and dash victim Maryam Rashidi dies in BC crash
Shallo’s parents have now arrived in British Columbia to make funeral arrangements. They say they will take his body back to his home country of Iran, but the financial burden is growing.
A close friend has started a GoFundMe account, as the family struggles to pay his outstanding bills, funeral costs and legal fees as the courts decide who Koorosh will live with—and in what country.
Watch below from June 12: The husband of a woman killed in a hit-and-run gas-and-dash at a Calgary gas station has been killed in a car crash. Gord Gillies reports.
Somayeh remains in hospital recovering from injuries she suffered in the crash.
Shallo, Rashidi and their son came to Canada from Iran to build a new life.
He and Rashidi worked as engineers, but were both laid off from Calgary oil and gas companies.
Desperate to support her family, Rashidi took a job at a gas station. She was working her fourth shift at the Centex on 16 Avenue in Calgary and ran after a truck that took off without paying for $113 worth of fuel.
READ MORE: Calgary gas-and-dash victim described as ‘mom who sacrificed her life’ at Mother’s Day service
Fatema Shaikhzada Agha created the GoFundMe account. She is a friend of the family and worked with Ahmad in B.C.
“Koorosh is the one who is going to suffer a lot, but he probably whispers his mom’s words every time he remembers her saying: ‘We will pass these tough days! We will fight and at the end we will have a better life here dear son!’” the page reads.
Global News has confirmed the young boy is currently in the care of his grandparents and a family friend.
On May 5, a jury found Joshua Mitchell guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter in the case. Shallo had planned to come to a sentencing hearing to read his victim impact statement Aug. 30 in Calgary.
A trust fund has also been set up for Koorosh. Donations can be made at any RBC Bank with the following details:
Transit 01260
Institution 003
Account 508 943 8
Avaz Nourani Shallo
Royal Bank of Canada