Arrests made after son murdered, father kidnapped in Hamilton

Police in Hamilton has made two additional arrests in connection to a violent home invasion and kidnapping from nearly a year ago.

Hamilton police were called to a residence in Mount Hope in the early morning hours of Sept. 16, 2021, for reports of a shooting.

When they arrived at the home, they located two men suffering from gunshot wounds. Both men were transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

One of the victims, Hasnain Ali, died of his injuries in hospital.

The deceased’s father, Faqir Ali, was located with injuries near Beach Boulevard in Hamilton. Police say he was abducted from the home in a dark SUV and violently assaulted.

Hamilton police say, Faqir Ali, 63, was forcibly taken from a home on Sept. 16, 2021. HANDOUT/Hamilton Police Service

Investigators believe Faqir’s two adult sons were trying to protect him at the home, which led to them being shot. Police said Ali’s wife and daughter were also at home during the attack but were not injured.

Police initially said they were searching for three suspects and arrested 25-year-old Antoine Chambers on the night of the kidnapping.

On Wednesday, police arrested 25-year-old John Bartley and 35-year-old Gino McCall, both from Hamilton. All three suspects have been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and aggravated assault.

The recently arrested pair appeared in court on Thursday.

Detective Staff Sgt. Steve Bereziuk says the motive for this violent incident is still under investigation and says the three men were hired to commit the kidnapping.

“That leads us to believe they were hired for a purpose,” Bereziuk said. “It’s very specific for taking Mr. Ali, they obviously had a plan. We believe they were hired by somebody, but we don’t know the details of that yet.”

Bereziuk added investigators believe there is at least one other individual outstanding who has knowledge or information about this crime and they are encouraging them to come forward.