Saskatoon Muslim community mourns teen killed in high-speed crash
Friends are raising money for the grieving family of a 16-year-old Saskatoon boy who was killed in a high-speed crash that injured two other teens on Sunday morning.
Shahryar Amir was a passenger in the vehicle that crashed into a pole and flipped over on a stretch of Taylor Street East in the early morning hours Sunday.
Amir was declared dead at the scene by police at around 6 a.m.
As a Saskatoon Police Service collision analyst continues to investigate the crash, the condition of one of the 15-year-old survivors is being watched closely.
Saskatoon police say the vehicle was being driven by a 15-year-old who didn’t have a Class 5 drivers license. He sustained non life-threatening injuries.
The other passenger, also a 15-year-old, is in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
“Impairment is not believed to be a factor of this collision, however members of the major crimes have assumed carriage of the criminal component of this investigation,” Saskatoon police spokesperson Joshua Grella told CTV News.
A resident living in apartments on Taylor Street who heard the crash made the initial call on Sunday morning.
Police say a 16-year-old boy is dead and two other teens are injured following a crash with a pole at this Taylor Street intersection on Sunday. (Chad Hills / CTV News)
“As a police service our officers certainly feels the loss that our community feels when a young person dies in this nature,” Grella said.
Amir’s family friend Mahnoor Naeem has started a Go Fund Me page to help the family with funeral and other expenses as they deal with the tragedy.
“He was really kind and generous. It was so tragic to hear when he passed away,” Naeem said.
Amir went to Evan Hardy Collegiate and was in Grade 10, according to Naeem who says her family left Pakistan at the same time as Amir’s in 2012. They were hoping for a better life.
Naeem says this loss is affecting the whole Muslim community. She’s received numerous messages of support since starting the fundraiser late Sunday. Initially she set the goal at $10,000, but it has already hit almost $16,000.
According to Naeem, it is customary for the body of a deceased loved one to be taken back to Pakistan for burial, but in this case the family will have funeral services in Saskatoon.
“When you’re so far from home, there’s no family here to support them so I think the least we can do is start a page and help in that aspect,” she said.
As the major crimes unit continues to investigate exactly what happened in the fatal collision, they’re not ruling out charges which could range from criminal negligence to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death, according to Grella.
Correction
An earlier version of this story said Amir was a student at Centennial Collegiate. He most recently attended Evan Hardy.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.