The mother of a young Mississauga man gunned down at a house party earlier this month is furious police labelled her son as a gang member.

Donna Latchana told reporters on Monday that her 23-year-old son David was not a member of the Crips and believes his death was not gang-related.

Family lawyer Selwyn Pieters contends that David was killed because he testified against one of his accused killers in a swarming case two years ago.

"It is clearly the case that Mr. David Latchana met his death because he was considered a snitch for responding to a Crown's summons to testify in a previous case against the accused," Pieters said in a statement. "This has nothing to do with gang membership or the lack thereof."

Pieters said there is a hip-hop song on a myspace.com page calling the victim a "snitch who put me away."

Latchana called her son "a hero" who did the right thing after witnessing a crime.

"My son David did what most people never would do to these bullies, he stood up to them," Donna told reporters through tears.

She said during David's testimony, the accused tried to jump out of the prisoner's dock and attack her son, but he was held back by a police officer.

She said the man then "made a symbol of a gun with his fingers and pointed at David."

But police on Monday denied that event happened, saying the accused pleaded guilty and David didn't have to testify.

David was an aspiring architect who recently returned to Toronto from Alberta. Pieters described him as "a wonderful son, brother, grandson and cousin ... a treasure to his close-knit family."

Pieters also said witnesses in serious crimes should be better protected against acts of retaliation.

David died after being shot in the head on Nov. 3 at a house party in Mississauga. His mother said he was killed next to his sister and girlfriend.

At a news conference last week, Peel police said Latchana was a member of the Crips, and his death was the result of an internal gang rift.

Police responded to the Latchana family comments on Monday by reiterating what they alleged last week.

Police have charged 22-year-old Demar Duntin and 19-year-old Jayson Hay with first-degree murder. Investigators allege they are Crips members.

With a report from CTV's Austin Delaney