Rally at Hamilton city hall for murdered teen

Family, friends and complete strangers are rallying tonight at city hall to honour a local hero.

It’s been one week since 19-year-old Yosif Al-Hasnawi was shot and killed.

Al-Hasnawi was a first year medical sciences student at Brock University.

The school paid tribute to him yesterday. His mother, who was in attendance, was wiping away tears.

Police say Al-Hasnawi had stepped out of the Al-Moustafa Islamic Centre last Saturday when he saw two men harassing an elderly man. Al-Hasnawi intervened and was shot.

Hamilton police have made three arrests in the case so far.

Dale King, the man who police believe pulled the trigger, was on the run for five days. He was found at a family members home in Hagersville and charged with second degree murder. A woman was arrested at the same time and charged with accessory to murder.

Police believe James Matheson was the other man harassing the senior. He has been charged as an accessory as well.

But it’s the allegations against first responders that have been causing outrage within the community.

On Monday, Hamilton EMS launched an investigation to determine whether there was misconduct from paramedics. It’s unknown whether these paramedics have been suspended during this investigation.

While EMS would not tell CHCH News how long the paramedics were on scene before bringing Al-Hasnawi to the hospital, Hamilton police revealed that paramedics arrived on scene at 9:01 p.m. and left with the victim 38 minutes later.

Al-Hasnawi was brought to St. Joesphs Hospital instead of the general; a hospital closer to the scene that specializes in trauma.

We’ve learned that the victim’s mother has filed a formal complaint against Hamilton EMS.