Hamilton paramedics to learn legal fate in court Tuesday
Published June 8, 2021 at 1:21 am
The verdict will be heard Tuesday in Hamilton’s Good Samaritan trial.
Two Hamilton paramedics, who are charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life after Yosif Al-Hasnawi was fatally shot in an altercation 3½ years ago, will learn their legal fate. Christopher Marchant and Steve Snively are slated to appear in Ontario Superior Court of Justice in downtown Hamilton to hear the judgement from the Hon. Harrison Arrell. The trial, which has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the availability of the lawyers, has been by judge alone.
Al-Hasnawi, a 19-year-old Brock University student, died in hospital after he was shot in the abdomen on Dec. 2, 2017, during an altercation near Main Street East and Sanford Avenue. Al-Hasnawi (pictured) had just left an Islamic centre after prayers. He intervened when he saw an older man being harassed by two people, according to police. In the ensuing confrontation, he was shot.
The Crown believes that the paramedics did not do enough to give Al-Hasnawi his best chance of survival, saying a series of small mistakes created a cumulative effect. The case is believed to be the first of its kind to go to trial in Canada, Global News has reported.
In her closing argument in March, Crown attorney Linda Shin said the paramedics’ conduct was a “marked departure” from what a gunshot victim could reasonably expect.
At trial, Marchant’s counsel, Jeff Manishen, said he could not accept that submission.
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Snively’s counsel, Michael DelGobbo, also said in court that Snively is “not the type of person who walks into a courtroom by defendant.”
In 2019, Dale King was found not guilty of second-degree murder in Al-Haswani’s death, by reason of self-defence.
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