Unsolved: Two years have passed since David Anderson’s murder

Deb had lost her house key, but it didn't matter - her son David would be there to open the door.

David was always here," she said.

She had spent the day at her sister's place and her bus home was late. She should have been there sooner, Deb recalls.

When she arrived at her Birch Avenue home the door was locked and she knocked. No one answered. Peering through the bevelled glass of her front door she could make out a hooded figure run up the stairs.

I thought, that's strange,'" Deb said, adding that she figured it might have been one of David's friends running upstairs to use the washroom.

It was only when she looked further and saw David sitting motionless on a chair, with a guy standing above him, that she started to realize something was wrong.

I heard him say my mom is going to call the police,'" she said. That's when I started to panic."

Deb didn't have her phone with her but yelled that she was going to call the police and ran for help. She was one block from her house when she heard a gunshot from the alleyway. But David is inside, she thought at the time, so it can't be him.

She went to family nearby for help and by the time her brother drove her back home the whole area was flooded with police and emergency vehicles. A friend of David's told her that her only son had just been shot.

Sitting on the front porch of her home as police investigated she still believed he was going to be OK. As David's friend repeatedly pleaded please don't die," Deb said she replied, he's not dying."

He had to be OK. She couldn't allow herself to consider otherwise.

But only a few kilometres away at Hamilton General Hospital, her son, 38-year-old David Anderson, died around 11:15 p.m., about 45 minutes after being shot.

That was April 28, 2021. This Friday marks two years since the murder, and still no charges have been laid despite the fact that four men were captured on surveillance video running from the scene.

David is my only son and he was the most important person in my life," Deb said. The Spectator has agreed not to publish her last name due to safety concerns.

It's been two years, she said, and somebody must recognize the suspects in the surveillance video. There were four guys involved; someone must have told someone something.

Hamilton police homicide detectives believe David was targeted for robbery of marijuana and cash. The four suspects robbed him inside the home and then fled through the back. David ran after them and was shot in the alley behind his home.

Deb believes the reason her son ran after his attackers was because he was worried about her safety and didn't want them going after her as she went to get help.

Police have released still images and surveillance video of the four running after the shooting.

Det. Sgt. Steve Bereziuk, of the homicide unit, said the four ran through a series of alleyways heading east, before being captured on video running on Sherman Avenue North.

Here we are two years later and again I'm hoping somebody who was maybe nervous in the past is now not as nervous," he said, adding that police solve cases with the co-operation of the public.

I'm hoping somebody has the courage to pick up the phone," he said. Help out Deb and catch David's killers."

The Hamilton Police Services Board has offered a $20,000 reward for information to solve the case.

Deb said the days since her son was killed have been incredibly hard and she is confused about why anyone would target her son.

David lived with his mom most of his life. He struggled with a brain injury, which caused him to have to take antiseizure medication for several years before his death. He didn't drive and was often too anxious to take the bus, so his world largely revolved around his home.

Most mornings he would walk to Tim Hortons and get himself an iced cappuccino with chocolate milk and bring back a tea for his mom. He loved playing video games on his Xbox; Mortal Kombat was his favourite.

When he left the house his dog Zeus, which Deb called his best friend," was always by his side.

Growing up, David was a good hockey player. He loved travelling with family and friends to Florida.

David was also a joker. Just a few weeks before his death, he saw a turkey cross the street at the park and thought it was the funniest thing. He called his mom over to see and sent a video to his friends.

But more than anything, he liked to help people - sometimes to a fault, his mom added, recounting times when he would end up putting himself in a dangerous situation.

He was always there to help people," she said.

And now Deb and police are hoping someone will help them and come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det. David Brewster at 905-546-4067.

To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppershamilton.com.

Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com