Witnesses describe alleged skateboard attack on off-duty Abbotsford police officer during manslaughter trial
CBC
Warning: This story contains details of violence.
A courtroom in Nelson, B.C., heard testimony this week from witnesses who described a confrontation between two men on the city's main downtown street in July 2020, which ended with a skateboard attack that allegedly killed off-duty police officer Allan Young.
Alex Willness, 28, has pleaded not guilty to one count of manslaughter.
Young, 55, was a 20-year-veteran with the Abbotsford Police Force and died at Kelowna General Hospital five days after the incident.
This week, several people who were sitting on an outdoor restaurant patio that evening testified about the confrontation between the two men and what led up to it.
Allison Howe told the court she had just arrived in Nelson, about 92 kilometres north of the border with the U.S., hours before and was having drinks with a group of friends when she heard yelling and swearing coming from a group of people further down the street.
She described seeing three people staggering down the street and yelling profanity at one another, which she said disturbed the mood on the patio.
"It was very loud and almost intolerable because of the disgusting things that these people were saying," Howe said.
She described the three as "very unsavoury" and said the way they were stumbling and yelling at each other made her think they were all "extremely high" on drugs.
Another customer sitting at the patio, who she later learned was Young, appeared irritated and stood up to confront the men, Howe testified.
Howe told the court Young looked like he was intoxicated as he steadied himself against the railing.
Another witness, referred to as Mr. Tait in court, said he too witnessed the incident from where he was sitting at the same patio with his father.
He testified Young announced, "I've had enough of this," before he stepped over the patio railing and walked toward the group.
Young approached a young man with a skateboard, told him to "stop it," and gestured with his hands for the man to relax, Tait said.
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