DEARBORN – A year after an 18-year-old man was stabbed to death outside of an ice
skating rink on the same date, tragedy struck the local community again as another
young man was shot multiple times and killed after a pick-up
basketball game near Riverside Academy West on the city’s east side.

The
victim was believed to be 23-year-old Hassan Zeidan by friends who had arrived on
the scene as numerous police officers secured the area.

According
to a relative and friends of an eyewitness, an argument over a
basketball game played by between six and eight people led to a fight after
which the shooter went to his car to retrieve a gun.

The
shooter pulled up to the parking lot where the game was being played
and fired multiple shots at the victim according to witnesses. The
single basketball goal where the game was being played rests in an
area near the school, ACCESS, and the Islamic Institute of Knowledge just off
of Schaefer Road.

Imam
Husham Al Husainy, the director of the Karbala Islamic Center nearby, said he had
been lecturing about 100 young people at the center during a
commemoration event for last year’s victim, Mohamad Abboud, about the
importance of avoiding violence and conflict, when someone came in and
said they had heard gunshots.

The
alleged shooter fled the area of the basketball game and ran toward
the center after being chased and attacked by others who had
witnessed the shooting. He had been bleeding, possibly from having
shot himself in the foot accidentally according to an eyewitness.

Al
Husainy said he tried to prevent others from continuing to attack the alleged shooter in retaliation until the police were
able to arrive. He came out of the scuffle with blood on his
cloak from the alleged shooter. He also said that the shooting victim’s father fell down and
had what may have been a heart attack after arriving on the scene.

The
alleged shooter was in police custody and was also taken to Oakwood Hospital with injuries. Police on the scene had no comment on the situation as they continued to gather evidence. 

“This
is a tough life lesson, we need to teach our youth how valuable life
is and as parents and the community we all have a role,” Al
Husainy said.

He
also said that the location was noteworthy in that it occurred near a
school, mosque and community center and said that all three need to
do a better job of teaching conflict resolution and the value of life
in light of recent tragedies.

“We
need more wisdom to learn how to avoid conflict otherwise we’ll keep
losing in an expensive way,” he said, adding that he’s been in
the community for about 30 years.

“We
need to close the gap between the older generation and the youth,”
he added. “This is a live example of what could happen if we
don’t increase the passion, wisdom, and faith of the community.”

Mohamad
El Salmen, 24 of Dearborn and a friend of Zeidan, was inside the mosque when the incident
happened.

“It’s
sad what’s happening, we had just come out of the commemoration (for
Abboud) when we found out,” he said.

“Some
people are falling in with the wrong lifestyle and we’re losing too
many young people in the community.”