‘Good Samaritan,’ 19, shot dead in Hamilton

City’s ninth homicide victim of 2017 tried to help senior being confronted by two men

A19-year-old “Good Samaritan” was shot dead in central Hamilton after trying to stop two men from harassing an older man on the street outside his mosque.

Yosif Al-Hasnawi, the oldest of five children and a first-year Brock University student with aspirations of becoming a doctor, was attending a religious celebration at the Al-Mus- tafa Islamic Centre Saturday night when he stepped outside with a friend and a younger brother, said homicide Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk.

That’s when he witnessed some sort of altercation where two men were accosting another man, described as being a senior. When AlHasnawi told them to stop, police say the two men then turned on Al-Hasnawi and one of them shot him on Sanford Ave. around 9 p.m.

“This is a result of him literally trying to help, a Good Samaritan,” Bereziuk said. “It’s very sad.”

Witnesses at the scene described hearing a single pop of a gun. There was little blood and several people initially thought he had been shot by a BB gun — but it was a handgun, police say.

At the mosque Sunday, family friends and brothers Talib and Tariq Al-Jalili said they had just come from the grieving family’s home and were at the Islamic Centre to begin funeral preparations.

Talib called Al-Hasnawi a “hero,” and described him as a kind young man who was like family to many in the community. Talib was inside the mosque that night and questioned the paramedics’ response. He said several people from inside the mosque came outside and claimed that they were asking for Al-Hasnawi to be sent to hospital faster.

Erin Fabello was inside her apartment when she heard the gunshot. Her boyfriend went outside and then came back to say he thought it was a BB gun, and alleged the paramedics on scene were laughing, she said.

Al-Hasnawi was writhing in pain on the ground.

Hamilton Paramedic Service operations supervisor Greg Martin wasn’t on duty Saturday night and said he had not been made aware of any complaints as of Sunday evening. He said the service would look into any complaints.

Bereziuk said he’s heard about alleged questionable behaviour by paramedics, but was more concerned about catching the two men responsible.

They are described as two white men in their 20s. The first suspect had a medium to darker complexion, with black hair and a medium build. His long hair was in a ponytail wrapped up at the top of this head. The second suspect was described as having a bald or shaved head, being shorter and heavier than the first suspect, with a light complexion and also wearing a hoodie and jeans.