Yosif Al-Hasnawi was participating in a religious celebration at the Al-Moustafa Islamic Centre on Main Street East on Dec. 2, 2017, when, around 9 p.m., ET he walked outside with his younger brother.
He saw two men "accosting" an older man, police say. He intervened, and that turned the culprits' attention to Al-Hasnawi.
Hamilton, Ontario police released new pictures of the man they believe Yosif Al-Hasnawi was trying to help the night he was killed.
Two men have been arrested in connection with Al-Hasnawi's death.
Twenty-year-old James Matheson is charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder and 19-year-old Dale Burningsky King, who police allege was the shooter, is charged with second-degree murder.
The man can be seen wearing a heavy coat, loose pants, a hoodie and is carrying a plastic bag. Investigators believe he may have been the person being accosted by two other men when Al-Hasnawi intervened.
They describe, in the claim, watching Al-Hasnawi "lying on the pavement in pain, holding his stomach and with a clear and visible bloody shotgun wound."
The City of Hamilton, which operates Hamilton's paramedic service, is preparing a statement of defence, said spokesperson Allison Jones.
"We continue to work closely with Niagara Regional Police and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to preserve the integrity of all investigative processes currently underway," she said.
Hamilton Police Service wouldn't comment, citing the ongoing lawsuit. St. Joseph's Healthcare, through spokesperson Maria Hayes, said the hospital received the statement of claim Friday and "will be reviewing it."
Suspects also sued
Yosif Al-Hasnawi was participating in a religious celebration at the Al-Moustafa Islamic Centre on Main Street East on Dec. 2 when, around 9 p.m., ET he walked outside with his younger brother.
He saw two men "accosting" an older man, police say. He intervened, and that turned the culprits' attention to Al-Hasnawi.
The situation moved roughly half a block east, to Sanford Avenue, where Al-Hasnawi was shot, police say.
Dale Burningsky King, 19, faces second-degree murder charges. James Matheson, 20, is charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact. Both are also named in the lawsuit.
'Terrible agony'
Since he was 10, Al-Hasnawi contributed money to the household, the claim says. He fixed electronics and helped pay for rent, food, utilities and other expenses.
He planned to be a doctor, the claim says, and was a pre-med student at Brock University when he died. He planned to keep living with his family once he was a doctor, it says, so he could help them have "a comfortable standard of living."
His family members have "recurring ruminations over the horrible way the late Yosif Al-Hasnawi met his death, the terrible agony he endured before perishing," it says.
The suit, filed through Toronto lawyer Susan von Achten, also lists unnamed crew members and police constables.
Police wonder if 'accosted' man in Al-Hasnawi homicide doesn't want to be found.
