Police have released two new images of the Hamilton man wanted in the shooting death of 19-year-old Yosif Al-Hasnawi.
Dale King, 19, was captured on a surveillance camera around 6 p.m. in the back of a vehicle on Monday.
Police say he has now changed his appearance. “His hair has been cut short as seen in these images. Investigators are closing in on Dale King and are encouraging him to turn himself in,” said Hamilton police in a news release.
King is wanted for the second-degree murder of Al-Hasnawi. The teen was shot in the stomach Saturday night, just steps away from the mosque he had been attending.
Al-Hasnawi was trying to help a senior who was being accosted by two younger men. Police believe the men turned to Al-Hasnawi and shot him for intervening.
Witnesses have been critical of how first responders handled the emergency. They allege paramedics assessed Al-Hasnawi’s wound and kept reassuring bystanders that it was a pellet shot. Witnesses also say that both police and paramedics were saying that the victim was acting and believed he could stand up on his own.
It’s also alleged that it was more than 30 minutes before Al-Hasnawi was put in the ambulance and the teen was told to walk instead of being transferred on a stretcher.
Al-Hasnawi’s friends and family question why he was brought to St. Joseph’s hospital, when he was closer to the Hamilton General hospital which specializes in this trauma.
Hamilton police said they have not received any formal complaints about their officers but released a statement Tuesday evening about the incident. “The Hamilton Police Service Homicide Unit is investigating. The investigation is ongoing. We hold our members to the highest standards of professionalism and quality service. In the event that any police misconduct is identified during the investigation, the Hamilton Police Service will take the appropriate steps to have the matter reviewed.”
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