‘One of a kind’: Friends remember Mario Rodgers, victim of Monday’s ‘intentional’ hit-and-run

Police have identified Mario Rodgers as the 22-year-old victim killed after being intentionally" run over by a car in east Hamilton early Monday morning.

Rodgers was identified by police in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

Rodgers was hit intentionally" by a car in the back parking lot of a six-storey apartment complex at Barton Street East and Covington Street - northeast of Eastgate Square - at around 4 a.m. on Dec. 13, Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk said at a news conference Monday.

He died at the scene with catastrophic" injuries.

His death marks Hamilton's 18th homicide this year, a record for the city.

In an interview with The Spectator, Lucas Camara remembered Rodgers, a friend of his since grade school, as one of a kind."

He said the 22-year-old was his first friend at St. Agnes Catholic Elementary School, where they bonded over their love of trucks, cars and everything in between.

He was a heartfelt kid," Camara said. He didn't care about anything besides putting a smile on people's faces."

Since their first encounter in Grade 4, he never changed," Camara said.

In high school, Rodgers was someone you could talk to about anything, Camara said. He was always a person who would sit there and listen to you. He was very kind."

Rodgers's passion for cars grew with age, and he eventually became a Honda Civic guru."

Camara recalls a time when he and his Honda Civic got stuck in deep snow and couldn't get out. He called Rodgers for help, and within 15 minutes, Rodgers appeared with a coffee for Camara and helped fix the problem.

He'd fix it for you without charge," Camara said. He knew Honda Civics like the back of his hand."

And no matter the season, Rodgers was always up for a drive.

His recent project was revamping a car of his own, and Camara said it's unfortunate he wasn't able to enjoy it," especially as his birthday is coming up on Dec. 28.

Camara was going to surprise his longtime friend with a Kobe Bryant jersey - Rodgers's favourite basketball player - and a pair of Jordan basketball shoes, but his plans were cut short on Monday morning.

In a press release Monday evening, police said Junaid Mohamed Nizami, 24, had been arrested by responding officers and was later charged with second-degree murder in Rodgers's death.

Bereziuk previously said the victim and the accused were known to each other, but the extent of the relationship is under investigation." The motive is also unclear, according to police.

We have a number of detectives investigating the matter to determine what precipitated this incident," he said Monday.

Police said they are not seeking any additional suspects.

The forensic unit was at the parking lot late Monday morning dealing with a fairly complicated scene," Bereziuk said.

Photos show a large area - including the apartment complex at 2520 Barton St. E. - cordoned off by police tape, as well as a silver vehicle with a broken window and other obvious damage.

The victim has a big family," including more than two siblings, Bereziuk said.

They are extremely upset," he said. The timing is terrible being that Christmas is just around the corner. The victim's birthday was around the corner, as well."

Police are asking witnesses who haven't already spoken to them to call 905-546-3836.

Alessia Passafiume is a reporter at The Spectator. apassafiume@thespec.com