The father of a young Ottawa teen clutched his son's coffin during an emotional goodbye at Ottawa's central mosque Thursday.
Yazdan Ghiasvand Ghiasi, a Grade 11 student at Notre Dame Catholic High School, was shot and killed earlier this week.
About 200 people gathered to say their final goodbyes to the 16-year-old Thursday morning. An Islamic prayer echoed off the walls at the Ottawa mosque on Scott Street.
Ghiasi's cleansed body was brought into the mosque inside a plain wooden box, as per traditional Iranian custom. In keeping with custom, Ghiasi was buried on the third day after his death.
Wrought with pain
His father, Ali, was so wrought with pain, he could barely walk. Aided by friends, Ali made his way to the front of the mosque to say goodbye to his only son. Ghiasi's mother and younger sister were also torn with grief, supported by women from the Iranian community.
Ali clutched his son's casket throughout much of the prayer service. He stroked the wood, as if it were his son's forehead.
"The ceremony -- I've never seen anything like it. It was so emotional, so heartfelt," said neighbour Brian MacMillan.
"They're our neighbours and Yazdan was a wonderful, wonderful boy. We enjoyed him as our neighbour and as he was growing up -- and now that's gone," added Patty MacMillan.
Left for dead on Ottawa street
Ghiasi's violent death shocked his family and friends when they were notified that he was shot and left for dead in Ottawa's Chinatown neighbourhood.
Ghiasi's friend told CTV Ottawa he skipped school on Monday to meet up with some people. Ghiasi was later dumped out of a car on Booth Street bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound.
Although witnesses tried to stop the bleeding, Ghiasi was later pronounced dead in hospital.
Aspiring cop among those charged
Three young Ottawa men have been charged in connection with his murder.
Abdulhamid Wehbe, 20, who is studying to become a police officer at Algonquin College, is charged with second-degree murder. Zakaria Dourhnou, 18, and Khaled Wehbe, 19, are both charged with accessory after the fact.
All three appeared in court Wednesday. They were remanded in custody until next week.
Although police have not released a motive for the teen's death, sources have told CTV Ottawa the killing was likely linked to drugs.
However, the teen's family and friends deny Ghiasi was involved with drugs. Rather, they remember him as a kind, young man whose life was full of accomplishments.
Ghiasi's family came to Canada from Iran when he was just a child. They say they never could have imagined their son's life would be cut short on the streets of Ottawa.
A candlelight vigil for Ghiasi is scheduled later tonight on Booth Street. The ceremony is planned to begin at 7:30 p.m.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Joanne Schnurr