Elio-Ernesto Walid Abou Hanna is a 24 year-old Lebanese biochemistry graduate who was brutally murdered when he accidentally ended up outside Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon due to a Google Maps malfunction or inadvertently taking a wrong turn on his way home.

Elio is survived by his mother, Marianne Faddoul AbouHanna, his father, Walid Abou Hanna, and his little sister, Maria Abou Hanna.

You may be wondering why we speak of Elio in the present, despite him having been murdered.

As Elio's family, we firmly believe our loved ones go on, their legacy continues through their lived stories and memories, the lives they've touched, the people who carry on loving them long after they're gone.

He is so much more than just his murder, to get to know him better, you can read stories about Elio-Ernesto Abou Hanna.

Elio went out for a sandwich on a Saturday night. On his way home, he accidentally ended up at Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp in Beirut, either due to a Google Maps malfunction (which is quite frequent in Lebanon), or due to unfortunately taking a wrong turn.

Once there, he encountered 9 men handling military-grade weapons in civilian clothing, likely feared for his life and hit the accelerator trying to escape imminent danger.

The gunmen opened fire shooting the back of his car (9 bullets), then shot at him from both sides (2 men on each side). A bullet crossed his chest from right to left, piercing his heart, and numerous others went through other vital organs, killing him instantly.

Watch Elio's parents explain the incident to the press (starting minute 1:28)

Elio-Ernesto Abou Hanna was born in Metn, Lebanon, at Abou Jaoude Hospital to Marianne Faddoul Abou Hanna and Walid Abou Hanna on the 11th of January, 2001.

He lived his entire life in Beirut, where he was unfortunately robbed of his future and his dreams at the unthinkable age of 24.

Perhaps —instead of asking what Elio was doing in Shatila that night— it would be more fitting to ask one of the following questions:

Why are there areas of Lebanon that are not safe for the Lebanese?

Why are some parts of Beirut off-limits for its residents?

Why have navigation systems such as GPS and Google Maps been malfunctioning in Lebanon for the last few years?

The simple truth is that Elio had begun driving recently after getting his driver's license, which was not very long ago. Elio ended up in Shatila by accident. He didn't know he had to avoid the area. It was an innocent error, either due to taking a wrong turn or due to a navigation system malfunction —an unfortunate mistake that cost him his life.

Rest assured; both Elio Abou Hanna and his car were tested multiple times by different laboratories. All tests performed confirm that there were absolutely no traces of any illegal substance whatsoever in Elio's blood nor his vehicle.

Yes, Shatila is known for its drug problem. Yes, other people have unfortunately been killed in Shatila in drug-related situations. However, in Elio's particular case, the only substance found in his blood samples (3 separate blood tests were run) was caffeine. Elio had never even smoked a cigarette in his whole life, let alone come into any sort of contact with drugs.

Upon hearing this unfortunate and unfounded rumor, Dr Hajj Junior, Elio-Ernesto's family doctor jumped onto social media to clear the matter up. You can listen to his declarations below.

Dr Hajj Senior was in charge of Elio's health since birth, and his son, Dr Hajj Junior (seen in the video) followed up on Elio's health since joining his father's medical practice until Elio's unfortunate death.

(source: Hajj Medical Center)

Elio did not know the Shatila area at all. He ended up there by mistake and had never been there before.

The unauthorized makeshift checkpoint* at which Elio was killed had been set up that very morning. He did not know there was a checkpoint there. He did not know he had to avoid the area.

Furthermore, the makeshift checkpoint had no visible infrastructure. All he saw were 9 gunmen in civilian clothing handling military-grade weapons on a narrow street after midnight.

Would you have stopped had you encountered such a scene on your drive home?

Would you have freaked out and tried to escape?

Would you have thought this was a legitimate checkpoint at which you had to stop and present your identification documents?

Which begs another question: Why are weapons being handled by others than the Lebanese Army on Lebanese soil?

* source: Now Lebanon

Elio Abou Hanna's murder sparked widespread reactions in Lebanon, including debate about the presence of illegal weapons and armed groups outside of state control —particularly within Palestinian camps, which are mostly off-limits for Lebanese security forces.

Elio's father, Walid Abou Hanna asked the following widely circulated questions in his media interviews:

"Are the Lebanese forbidden from entering their own neighborhoods?"

"Have the "guests" turned into rulers of their hosts?"

Elio Abou Hanna's mother, Marianne Faddoul AbouHanna, despite her excrutiating pain and grief, beautifully articulated her wishes for Lebanon in an interview after her son's murder. She also asked several poignant questions. Watch Elio's mom and dad on MTVE Lebanon News below.

Elio Abou Hanna's murder has intensified calls for the Lebanese government to assert its sovereignty and disarm all non-state actors and "security squares" inside and outside the camps, as part of a national plan to place all arms under state control.

Elio Abou Hanna's unfortunate killing has exposed Lebanon's "deadly normal" of unchecked militias and a weak central government, sparking questions as to why the ruling establishment has allowed this situation to persist.