A 19-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-Mustafa Islamic Centre on Main St. E. near Wentworth St. Saturday night when he stepped outside with a friend and a younger brother, said homicide unit 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 Al-Hasnawi 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.

“It’s a terrible loss for the community,” he said.

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. Martin couldn’t immediately access a record for how long the call took.

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, last seen running north on Sanford.

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. He wore a hood, backpack and jeans.

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.

Al-Hasnawi was also a talented athlete both in basketball and boxing. The family came to Canada from Iraq. He is Hamilton’s ninth homicide victim of the year. Police do not believe he was targeted because of his race or religion. They believe a handgun was used, but have not recovered a weapon.

Police also want to speak with the man who Al-Hasnawi was trying to help.

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“The information we have is very vague,” Bereziuk said. “We’re looking to find out who this person is.”

At the scene Sunday, a large stretch of roadway was taped off by police along Sanford from Main to Cannon Street East. Throughout the neighbourhood, alleyways that run between businesses and houses were also restricted by crime scene tape, and a police incident command vehicle was parked on Sanford.

The road was reopened around 3:30 p.m.

Police were canvassing the neighbourhood throughout the day Sunday, looking for witnesses and any surveillance video.

Neighbours said Al-Hasnawi was found on the sidewalk on the northeast side of Sanford, close to Main, and that a crowd gathered around him as police arrived.

Tom Raczynski said he heard yelling, but initially didn’t think much of it as that’s common in the neighbourhood.

When he went outside he saw a man lying on the sidewalk and bunch of people around him.

“Everyone was all around him,” he said.

As he approached, police moved in and started to clear everyone back. Raczynski said the man was still moving as he watched him being loaded into a waiting ambulance.

He was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 10 p.m.

This is the fourth homicide by shooting in the city this year, including the last three homicides in a row.

In a statement Brock University president Gervan Fearon said the community was “shocked and deeply saddened” to learn of Al-Hasnawi’s death and offered “deepest sympathies to his family.”