Nearly three weeks after the shooting death of a 19-year-old hailed as a Good Samaritan, Hamilton police are still looking to track down a man believed to have had contact with the suspects.
On Wednesday, police released a security camera image of the man who investigators say had been verbally accosted by two suspects on the evening of Dec. 2 before Yosif Al-Hasnawi attempted to intervene.
Al-Hasnawi, a medical sciences student at Brock University, had been leaving Al Mustafa Islamic Centre at Main Street East near Wentworth Street at around 9 p.m.
He “took exception” to the interaction between the man and the two others, and called out to them, Hamilton police Det. Sgt. Steve Berezuik told reporters earlier this month.
“That drew the attention of the suspects over to our victim,” he said.
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The dispute spilled over from Main Street to Sanford Avenue North and Aikman Avenue, where Al-Hasnawi was shot. He later died in hospital.
Bystanders later criticized the response from paramedics, claiming that Al-Hasnawi’s injuries weren’t taken seriously. The matter is currently under investigation.
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Earlier this month, Amin Al Tahir, director at Al Mustafa Islamic Centre, told 900 CHML what he saw was “unbelievable.”
“For more than 20 minutes we asked the paramedics to take him (to hospital) and they said ‘No, he was just fine. When he saw you coming he started acting out.’ And they started to laugh with each other.”
“We told them ‘Please, take him to the hospital. He has difficulty breathing.’ They decided to take him because people started coming more and more.”
Two Hamilton men have been charged in the case. Dale Burningsky King, 19, was arrested at a home in Hagersville, on Dec. 6 and later charged with second-degree murder. James Mattheson, 20, was charged with accessory after the fact earlier that week.
A 55-year-old woman from Hagersville was arrested, but released without charge.
Police say the newly released photo is from the night of Dec. 2, prior to the fatal shooting. They are asking anyone with information to contact investigators.
With files from CHML