Days after a 32-year-old man died following a shooting outside of a north-side nightclub, loved ones of the deceased hope the witnesses of the incident that lead to his death come forward.
Detectives working on the case have speculated fear of what witnesses saw outside of the Diesel Ultra Lounge at 3 am Sunday morning could be why so few have come forward.
Surveillance footage obtained by CTV News show more than a dozen people appeared to be outside the nightclub at the time of the incident, and appear to be running away from what police believe could be the gunfire that killed 32-year-old Yehia Hassan Al-Bekai.
On Tuesday, police said some of the witnesses to the incident had come forward, some had cell phone video and images – but many in the crowd have not yet come forward.
"The people who went to that lounge certainly didn't expect this to happen, certainly not," Staff Sgt. David Spiers said Tuesday. "I'm sure they're probably lying awake at night, wondering.
"I want them to come and talk to us."
The family of Al-Bekai hopes witnesses will come forward soon, as they continue to grieve their loss.
"All of us, we're at a huge loss," Issam Saleh, a cousin of the victim told CTV News Wednesday. "We're grieving the loss of our son Yehia, and we're taken aback by this unfortunate incident."
Police said they believe fear might be one of the reasons why so many of the witnesses have not come forward.
On Tuesday, investigators said they believe as many as thirty people were there when shots were fired. So far, 14 witnesses have come forward.
Saleh extended a plea on behalf of his family to the remaining witnesses of the shooting to come forward.
"We ask each one of them, for the parent's sake, and for the brothers and sisters sake, to come forward and say what they have witnessed."
With files from David Ewasuk
