Three male youths appeared in court on Tuesday to answer for charges of first-degree murder after Hamilton police say a 17-year-old male was found dead in his vehicle on Monday night.
Police say they responded to reports of a single-vehicle collision in the area of Patterson and Wesley Road in Dundas around 7:35 p.m.
Upon arrival, officers found a deceased teenage male in a vehicle off-road near a forested area.
Hamilton police have since identified the victim as Abdulla Hassan. Police confirmed to Global News Hassan was a student who travelled from Dubai with his family to Canada in 2014.
A post-mortem on Tuesday concluded that Hassan was killed by a gunshot wound.
Investigators recovered a firearm believed to be used in the murder.
Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk said witnesses reported seeing the three accused fleeing the area, and the major crimes unit arrested teens matching descriptions.
“Investigators believe this was a targeted incident and the public is not at risk,” said Hamilton police in an official release. “Investigators are not seeking any more suspects at this time.”
Three teens, two 16-year-olds and a 15-year-old, appeared in a downtown courtroom Tuesday facing first-degree murder charges and will be making additional appearances in the next two weeks.