By EMS1 Staff
ONTARIO, Canada — A fatal shooting incident caused an EMS agency to investigate its paramedics after witnesses said a crew did not take the good Samaritan seriously about his injuries before he died.
Huffington Post reported that Yosif Al-Hasnawi was trying to stop two men who were harassing an older man when he was fatally shot, according to police.
“This young man was doing what he felt was right in the situation,” Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk said. “He was a brave young man.”
Witnesses of the incident said the paramedics who arrived to treat Al-Hasnawi were not taking him seriously when he was in distress.
“They thought he was acting. The man was in severe pain inside his abdomen, why would he act?” witness Talib Al-Jalili said.
“He was lying there complaining he was hurting and they kept saying he was faking,” another witness, Tom Raczynski, said. “The one paramedic kept saying ‘oh you’re a good actor.’ I just thought it was disgusting. Like somebody’s shot, you take him in to the hospital; you don’t leave him lying there.”
Hamilton Paramedic Service Deputy Chief Russell Crocker said the agency has launched an investigation into the incident.
“HPS will ensure that our process is thorough and that all facts are obtained and examined in regard to the event this past weekend,” Chief Crocker said. “Hamilton Paramedic Service sends its deepest condolences to the family of Yosif Al-Hasnawi during this difficult time.”
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