Hamilton man charged with murder in home invasion
Twenty-one-year-old victim died in hospital from injuries suffered in the Sept. 16 attack
Many questions remain surrounding the mystery of a violent home invasion that led to a homicide and abduction from a house in a quiet Mount Hope neighbourhood, just before 3 a.m. on Sept. 16.
But Hamilton police revealed what they believe is one piece of the puzzle Friday afternoon, before a gathering of media outside Central Station on King William Street.
Antoine Chambers, a 25-year-old Hamilton man, has been charged by police with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 21-year-old Hasnain Ali, known as Nano, who died in hospital from his injuries suffered in the attack.
Police are trying to locate two additional suspects, who Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk said will be charged with first-degree murder upon their arrest.
Bereziuk said that police have also charged Chambers with attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault and “numerous” firearms-related offences.
Nano’s brother, Sibtain, and their 63year old father, Faqir Ali, were seriously injured; Sibtain by a gunshot, and Ali after he was abducted from the house and taken away in a dark SUV, wearing only his pyjama bottoms.
The two injured men are out of hospital but still recovering, Bereziuk said.
He said Faqir Ali was “obviously” targeted by his abductors and that the motive was Ali’s money, but added that the motive “is still under investigation” and he “can’t get into specific amounts.” No money was stolen that night.
The Ali family has co-operated with police in their investigation, said Bereziuk. “They are very nice people and they are happy with this (arrest) news today, but know there is much to be done.”
In online profiles, Faqir Ali, a Pakistani-Canadian businessperson, is listed as CEO of Al Nihangs Group, which is described as helping to bridge “the gap between foreign investors.”
It was six hours after the abduction from the house on Glancaster Road that Ali was located by police at 9 a.m. in
Jimmy Lomax Park off Beach Boulevard near the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge. He was found badly wounded from a “violent assault.”
Bereziuk said there was a “chain of events” that led the abductors to the waterfront, 28 kilometres south of the house in Mount Hope, but would not elaborate other than to say he believes the men had no intention of ending up there.
At 11 p.m. that night, 14 hours after finding Ali — and acting on information from surveillance video and Beach Boulevard witnesses — police pulled over Chambers in a vehicle on the Mountain, driving what Bereziuk alleged was the “getaway car.”
Police said they found a handgun in the car. After questioning Chambers, police elected to charge him only with a firearms offence initially. Police searched the car and sent evidence to the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto for testing, including the gun.
Some of the test results are outstanding — including data that could prove whether the handgun was used in the homicide — but Bereziuk said he now believes after additional investigation there are “reasonable and probable grounds” to charge Chambers with firstdegree murder, which explains the three-week delay from the arrest to announcing the full slate of charges.
Chambers, who has no previous criminal record, will make an appearance in court Oct. 13.
Police ask that anyone with information about the case to call Det. Lisa Chambers at 905-546-3843. To remain anonymous, contact 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppershamilton.com.