"Pillar of the community:" Family & friends remember Abbas Yasin, who died after attack

MILWAUKEE -- Nearly two months after an elderly man was attacked following a confrontation on a Milwaukee County Transit System bus, his family and friends gathered to say goodbye. 82-year-old Abbas Yasin passed away on May 9th from his injuries.

The sounds of grief filled the air Wednesday, May 11th at Milwaukee's Islamic Da'wa Center.

"He was a person that tried to call people to do what was good," said Yaseen Domineck, Imam at Masjid Ar-Rahman.

"Brother Abbas was a pillar of this community for almost 50 years. He's been an upstanding individual and a role model here," said Willie Perry, executive director of the Islamic Da'wa Center.

Islamic Da'wa Center

Yasin was attacked by a teenager following a confrontation on a county bus on March 17th. Friends say Yasin was the kind of guy who would have stepped up had someone else on that bus been threatened.

"He's a trained martial artist as well. I think he's about a fourth degree black belt. And so it's in his nature to...come to the defense and aid of those in need," Perry said.

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Friends think the teen followed Yasin from the bus after the confrontation.

Police say the teen swung at Yasin, causing him to fall and hit his head. He sustained a traumatic brain bleed -- and died nearly two months after the attack.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office is investigating Yasin's death as a homicide while police search for the teen.

"Just hope that the young man that did this crime, that he, you know, has something in his heart that he'll turn himself in to, you know, deal with the consequences for his actions," said Domineck.

The suspect accused of striking Yasin is described as a male, black, between the ages of 15 and 17, standing 5'6" tall and weighing 140 pounds with a thin build and dreadlocks. He was wearing a blue jogging jacket with white stripes.

MPD would also like to attempt to identify the female witness seen with the suspect. She is described as a female, black, between the ages of 15 and 17, weighing 180 pounds with her hair pulled back. She was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt.

Anyone with information is asked to call Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360.