Trial begins for Hamilton paramedics charged in death of Yosif Al-Hasnawi

The trial of two Hamilton paramedics charged in the death of Yosif Al-Hasnawi begins today.

Al-Hasnawi, 17, was shot in the stomach outside a mosque near Main St. and Sanford St. on Dec. 2, 2017.

He was trying to defend an older man who was being accosted by two men.

Al-Hasnawi died hours later in hospital.

Witnesses said the responding paramedics assessed Al-Hasnawi’s wound and kept reassuring bystanders that the teen had only been shot by a pellet gun.

The witnesses allege both police and paramedics claimed the teen was faking his injuries and believed he could stand up on his own.

Christopher Marchant and Steve Snively are charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life, after a Niagara police investigation.

It’s a judge-alone trial for Steven Snively and Christopher Marchant. @CHCHNews spoke to witnesses at the time of Yosif’s murder nearly 3 years ago who said paramedics allegedly told Al-Hasnawi he was overreacting. #HamOnt

— Nicole Martin (@nicolemartintv) November 24, 2020

The trial is scheduled to take five weeks.

Both Snively and Marchant were fired from their jobs by the City of Hamilton in 2018.

Meanwhile, an SIU investigation found no grounds to charge the responding Hamilton Police officer.