Hamilton police say man ‘intentionally’ hit by car in Stoney Creek homicide

Hamilton police say a man is dead after being “intentionally” hit by a vehicle in a back parking lot of an apartment complex in Stoney Creek.

Investigators say officers arrived early Monday morning around 4 a.m. and discovered a man in his 20s with “catastrophic” injuries near Barton and Covington Streets.

The man died on scene and there is a suspect in custody – believed to be from Hamilton.

“Currently, (he’s) at the Hamilton Police central station where this male is likely to be charged with first degree murder,” Det. Sgt. Steve Berezuik said on location in media scrum.

Berezuik said the victim and the accused were “known to each other” but had no details on what caused the incident or whether either of the men lived in the area.

He said the victim came from a large family who was “extremely upset.” Police victim services is working with next of kin.

Upon interviewing several witnesses and reviewing video evidence, Junaid Mohamed Nizami, 24, has been charged with 2nd Degree Murder.

Detectives say they are not looking for any other suspects.

“Our area of interest right now is the apartment building itself, the private drive and the private parking area behind it,” said Berezuik.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Hamilton police confirmed the deceased was 22-year-old Mario Rodgers.

The death is the city’s 18th homicide for 2021.

Bereziuk said it sets a record for such incidents the service has dealt with in any given year.

The previous high was in 2020 when Hamilton Police reported 17 homicide investigations.