Five people have been charged with first-degree murder and other charges in connection with the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Faizaan Awan on March 6, 2025.
Police say all five suspects charged in connection with the fatal 2025 shooting of a teenage boy in Stoney Creek had ties to a local tow truck company that has since ceased operations.
According to police, five people have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Faizaan Awan in the early morning hours of March 6, 2025.
Police previously confirmed that Awan was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside a vehicle in the area of Highway 8 and Fruitland Road at around 4:20 a.m.
Police on the scene of the shooting in Stoney Creek Police on the scene of the shooting of a 16-year-old boy in Stoney Creek on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (CP24)
When officers first arrived on scene, they discovered that a white Kia sedan and a red Acura SUV were involved in a collision just east the intersection.
Upon further investigation, they discovered Awan and two other occupants inside the Acura. Awan and one of his passengers had been shot and Awan was subsequently pronounced dead in hospital.
Speaking to reporters during an update on Friday, Det. Staff Sgt. Robert Di Ianni confirmed that the vehicle Awan was driving had been chased for several kilometres by multiple other cars.
“This was not a random act. Our investigation has determined that this was a targeted attack involving multiple individuals and multiple firearms,” Di Ianni told reporters, adding that at least five vehicles were involved.
The detective confirmed that investigators do believe there was an exchange of gunfire between the victims and suspects but no weapon was recovered inside the Acura.
The suspects, he said, are all connected to a tow company in Hamilton that is no longer in operation.
“It is related to the tow truck industry,” he said. “It is connected to the… tow truck industry in an ongoing dispute between two different companies.”
Two of the accused, he confirmed, are members of the family that owned Provincial Tow, which has since ceased operations. A third suspect married into that family, Di Ianni said, and the other two accused were employed there.
“I’m not going to talk about the specifics about why we believe Faizaan Awan was at 928 Queenston (Road), that’s where this chase started,” he said.
“Provincial Tow was the victim of an arson a few days before. I believe they were there to protect their property. Faizon was there and was chased all the way to Fruitland Road.”
He noted that investigators don’t believe that the suspects knew Awan prior to the incident or realized Awan was the person inside the vehicle at the time.
Di Ianni also confirmed that Awan was not employed with any tow truck companies at the time.
“He was a son, a young person with a future ahead of him. His life was taken in an act of violence that has had a devastating impact on his family and our community,” Di Ianni said.
The suspects are also facing two counts of attempted murder in relation to the other occupants in Awan’s car.
The accused include Mohammad Aburas, a 26-year-old Ottawa resident, Ameer Nabout, 22, and Ameen Nabout, 20, of Hamilton, Rami Qasem, a 42-year-old Hamilton resident, and 36-year-old Sari Nawabit, of Hamilton.
The charges have not been tested in court.
“This investigation is not over,” Di Ianni said.
“We believe there are additional individuals involved and we are actively working to identify and locate anyone else who played a role in what happened that morning.”