Murder trial begins for men charged in 2021 Edmonton community hall shooting

Abdullahi Yalahow and Christopher Wilson appeared in a courtroom Monday for the first day of a murder trial related to a deadly shooting in south Edmonton in 2021.

The judge and jury trial is set to last 20 days.

Yalahow and Wilson were charged in connection with an Aug. 29, 2021 shooting at Duggan Community Hall near 37th Avenue and 106th Street that left Hamza Mohamed dead.

They are each charged with second-degree murder.

Both men are in their 30s. They pleaded not guilty on Monday. Yalahow also pleaded not guilty to charges of intentionally discharging a firearm and unlawfully having a loaded, prohibited or restricted firearm. Wilson also pleaded not guilty to unlawfully having a loaded, prohibited or restricted firearm.

Yalahow appeared in court dressed in a blue sweatsuit. Wilson was dressed in a grey business suit.

There are six men and eight women on the jury.

In their opening statements, Crown prosecutors Thomas O’Leary and Julie Snowdon said they believe the evidence will prove both accused are guilty of murder.

They warned the jury about “very disturbing video from some CCTV video cameras,” including images of the victim being shot in the head at point-blank range and “acts of violence being inflicted on the deceased’s body after the fatal shooting.”

The Crown said there was a party at Duggan Community Hall on the night of the shooting that had DJs, dancing, food and alcohol. It was a ticketed event but open to the public. Tickets were available at the door.

The Crown said CCTV video shows both accused — as well as a third man — arriving at the hall at about 12:30 a.m. that night. The Crown said CCTV video shows Mohamed arriving just before 4 a.m.

Court heard that a few minutes after Mohamed arrives, shots can be heard in the video. The third man who arrived with the accused is seen opening fire at Mohamed, the Crown told the court. People are seen fleeing and Mohamed is injured by a gunshot and falls to the floor. Video shows the third man talk to Yalahow then leave, the Crown said.

The Crown said the video shows Yalahow fire a shot at Mohamed and try to shoot another but a security guard swats away his gun. Mohamed takes out a gun and fires back at Yalahow, hitting him in the stomach, court heard. Video then shows the two exchange shots, prosecutors said, before Wilson circles back behind Mohamed and hits him the head, disarming him. A struggle ensues and Wilson grabs the gun and stands over Mohamed.

He yells: “Yo, where you at?” court heard.

Yalahow, lying in the hallway, watching, yells back: “Yo, hit him. Grease him.”

The Crown told the jury that the video then shows Wilson point the gun at Mohamed’s head and fire four shots at point-blank range. Mohamed is killed. Wilson talks to Yalahow before going back and repeatedly striking Mohamed in the head with a gun.

The Crown told the jury that Wilson can then be heard telling Yalahow: “Yo, I shot that guy. Yo, I shot that guy. Yo, I shot that guy.”

Prosecutors said the videos show Wilson point a gun at a DJ, who puts his hands up and walks away. Then, Wilson is seen leaving the hall and walking to a school across the street. Police later found a gun in the bushes by the front door.

Yalahow is seen being carried into a car by some men, and the car speeds off, court heard.

The Crown said video shows Wilson returning to the hall, where he was recognized by the security guard and arrested by police. Yalahow was arrested at the University of Alberta Hospital once he was treated in the ER and stabilized, the Crown said.

It took police 10 months to identify and arrest the third man, seen on the video arriving at the hall with the two other men accused in the murder, the Crown said. Therefore, he is not part of this trial, but has been charged with manslaughter and is scheduled for trial in June 2024.

Justice Belzil is presiding over the trial.

In addition to the CCTV video and audio, the jury will hear from people who were at the hall that night, police officers, crime scene investigators and the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Mohamed, the Crown said.

“We anticipate that Dr. (Ingo) Von Both will testify that the deceased’s body contained 12 separate gunshot wounds, including three to his head,” the Crown’s opening remarks concluded. “We also anticipate that he will tell you about a bullet lodged in the deceased’s spine, which could have caused the deceased to fall to the ground and caused him to be unable to move his legs.”

The first section of the agreed statement of facts was submitted Monday prior to the first witness testifying.

The first witness was the primary investigator for EPS: Det. Tom Pennie.

The Crown took him through a large collection of surveillance video from inside and outside the hall the night on Aug. 29. The graphic video showed gunfire between the two accused, a third man, and the victim.

Some jurors were visibly upset by the video, turning away from the screen and covering their mouths. In the gallery, Mohamed’s sister burst into tears as court watched video of her brother being shot repeatedly.

None of the allegations against the accused have been proven in court. As of 2 p.m. on Monday, the defence had not given opening statements.

More to come.