'I gave so much to people': teenage London homicide victim mourned

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Candles burned Monday in front of a memorial to a London teenager, in the parking lot of a social housing complex where the 18-year-old died after being stabbed Friday evening.

Those close to Abdul Hashim, known to friends as “Zeko,” remember high school graduate Sir Wilfrid Laurier as a hardworking teenager with “a heart of gold” and big dreams of making it big in the sport and engineering.

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Abdul Jabbar Al-Samraei, 19, is among those mourning the loss of Hashim. Al-Samraei tended to his late friend's memorial in the parking lot of 1057 Southdale Rd. E., straightening overturned flower vases and relighting candles.

Al-Samraei said his friend had a “good heart” and he remembers the first time the two met as boys at White Oaks Mall. Hashim, he said, was trying to break up a fight.

“It was a few people trying to fight. I was one of those who fought,” Al-Samraei said. “He came between us and stopped everything.”

The last time he saw his friend, a week before his death, Al-Samraei said Hashim was singing along to a tune he played on repeat. Hashim loved to sing, Al-Samraei said.

Police have charged two 17-year-old men, who cannot be publicly identified under Canada's Youth Justice Act, with second-degree murder in the teen's death.

Hashim died Friday night after being stabbed in the parking lot of the Southdale housing complex where they lived, just east of Millbank Drive, his grieving father, also named Abdul Hashim, told The Free Press over the weekend .

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Two days before his son's death, he had graduated from Sir Wilfrid Laurier High School, his father said.

The youngest Hashim dreamed of pursuing post-secondary education and becoming an electrical engineer, his father said.

A few buildings away from the memorial, three women prepared dozens of makeshift candle holders for another memorial service for the teenager planned for Monday evening.

Jennie Parnell, one of Hashim's wives and close friend, described him as a hard worker with “a heart of gold.”

“He gave so much to people, even more than I thought,” she said, adding that he was always trying to make people feel better.

Hashim loved his family and always looked out for his younger siblings, Parnell said, adding that the young man also dreamed of bringing his mother from Bangladesh to Canada.

“He was doing really well,” Parnell said of the 18-year-old. “He was a hard worker who put everything into what he did.”

A dedicated boxer, Hashim would stay up late at night training on a punching bag set up in Parnell's house, she said.

Before he died, Hashim was training for a tournament at his boxing gym, Parnell said.

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“He was so dedicated. He loved her.”

Parnell also mentioned Hashim's love of food and how he learned to cook. “He was always experimenting,” she said, joking that while his creations didn’t always look so good, they tasted amazing.

“I loved that kid,” Parnell said, choking up. “He will be missed by many, many people. »

On Monday, the flag at his high school was lowered to half-mast in memory of Hashim, the Thames Valley District School Board confirmed.

An email sent Sunday by the school's principal, Matt Bradacs, to parents and students said there had been a “sudden student death” and that support services would be available for students. The school board's Traumatic Event Response Team was at the school Monday to provide counseling to students and staff.

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