Nearly two months after the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man hailed as a Good Samaritan, Hamilton police say they have located a witness said to have contact with the suspects.
As recently as Tuesday, police were appealing to the public to track down an older man believed to have been verbally accosted by two individuals on the night of Dec. 2.
READ MORE: 19-year-old ‘Good Samaritan’ killed in Hamilton’s 9th homicide of 2017
Yosif Al-Hasnawi, a Brock University student, saw the interaction and “took exception” to it, police said at the time.
He confronted the men, and Al-Hasnawi was shot near Sanford Avenue North and Aikman Avenue.
On Wednesday, police say a member of the public contacted them after recognizing the witness in a photo released by investigators.
WATCH: Police arrest suspect in shooting death of Hamilton teen
He was interviewed that afternoon.
“Details of the interview cannot be released as this is now evidence before the court,” Hamilton police said in a short statement Thursday morning.
READ MORE: Hamilton EMS investigating complaints after Good Samaritan death
Dale Burningsky King, 19, was arrested in Hagersville on Dec. 6 and charged with second-degree murder in Al-Hasnawi’s death. James Mattheson, 20, was charged with accessory after the fact.
In late December, following witness complaints regarding how paramedics responded to the victim, Niagara Regional Police were asked to open a criminal investigation.
The matter is also the subject of a $10-million lawsuit naming Hamilton paramedics, Hamilton police, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and the two men charged in the shooting.
The statement of claim alleges paramedics and police were negligent and incompetent when they failed to administer first aid or promptly transfer Al-Hasnawi to hospital.
Hamilton spokeswoman Allison Jones told the Canadian Press last week that the city has received notice of the lawsuit from the family and is preparing a statement of defence.
— With files from the Canadian Press
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