Teachers and classmates of young Shadi Youssef, during a sit-in attended by his family and the mayor of Tripoli, Riyad Yamak, on March 17, 2025. (Credit: Michel Hallak)
A sit-in in memory of Shadi Youssef, a 12-year-old child who died last Thursday after being accidentally injured in a shooting in Tripoli, was organized Monday by teachers from the public school in Jdeideh and classmates of the victim, reports our correspondent in North Lebanon, Michel Hallak. The event took place in the presence of the president of the municipality of Tripoli, Riyad Yamak, and the family of the young boy.
Youssef died from his severe injuries after being accidentally shot in the head during a shooting last Monday in Tripoli. Two people were injured after a dispute escalated in the Zahriyeh neighborhood, where a man opened fire in a chicken restaurant a few minutes before iftar, the meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan. The incident reportedly occurred due to the shooter's insistence on obtaining half a chicken, while the restaurant had run out of goods that day, according to local media. The shooter has not yet been apprehended.
On Friday, the day of Youssef's funeral, the shooter turned himself in to the police. He was arrested and handed over to the competent authorities to continue the investigation.
This incident occurred in the context of tightened security measures in Tripoli. The police recently implemented a comprehensive security plan for Ramadan in March. This plan includes the establishment of roadblocks and the deployment of motorized and foot patrols throughout the city.
"We are today facing a test after the implementation of measures by the security services that resumed their work after the election of the president, the appointment of the prime minister and the formation of the government," said Yamak, according to the National News Agency.
"The deteriorating security situation has turned the capital of the North [Tripoli], as well as al-Fayhaa, Mina, Qalamoun, Beddawi, Wadi Nahle, Mankoubine and its surroundings, and the localities of Menieh, Denniyeh, and Akkar, into battlefields that almost daily cause deaths and injuries among our young people, due to stray bullets or illegal weapons," the official lamented. He also stated that "the army and security forces are seriously executing their plan, but security is not fully ensured, due to encroachments [on the security situation in the city]."