The trial of an Alberta man accused of murdering an Abbotsford police constable resumed Monday, with the court hearing dramatic new audio from a witness 911 call.
Oscar Arfmann is accused of shooting Const. John Davidson twice from behind on Nov. 6, 2017, in what Crown have described as an “ambush.” He’s charged with first-degree murder, and has pleaded not guilty.
On Monday, witness Larry Siefert took the stand.
Siefert’s dashcam captured a key piece of Crown’s evidence in the case, and it recorded his conversation with a 911 dispatcher, which was played in court.
Siefert testified that he was pulling out of a drive-thru when he made the call.
WATCH: Trial of man accused of killing Abbotsford police officer hears from man who spoke to accused
“I’m at the McDonald’s, there’s a guy in the parking lot here with a f—ing rifle shooting at cars… they shot the windows out of a guy’s pickup,” the court heard on the recording.
“I don’t know if its a pellet gun or a rifle… I’m following him.”
The dispatcher can be heard asking Siefert for a description of the vehicle, which he describes as a black Mustang with Alberta licence plates.
He can also be heard telling the dispatcher that the suspect is “driving really, really calmly up the road.”
The dispatcher can then be heard asking Siefert if anyone had been injured.
WATCH: Family of Alberta suspect in BC police shooting says Oscar Arfmann fought mental illness
“I have no idea,” Siefert replies. “The passenger windows are shot out of the vehicle in the parking lot.”
Previous witnesses who worked at a car dealership from which Arfmann is accused of stealing the Mustang testified that they used a truck to box the car in, at which point Arfmann fired at the pickup before driving away.
In the audio played Monday, the dispatcher can then be heard asking whether Siefert was following the Mustang at a safe distance.
“I’m in a car. If he stops and pulls his gun out on me I’m going to run him over. It’s just that simple,” Siefert replies.
WATCH: Trial of man accused in killing of Abbotsford police officer hears from suspect
“I don’t want you to follow him anymore,” the dispatcher can be heard saying.
“No, I’m going to keep following him. I’m not scared of him,” replies Siefert.
In response, Arfmann’s defence questioned whether it was actually the accused behind the wheel.
Siefert acknowledged on the stand that he never saw Arfmann fire a gun. He also couldn’t confirm whether the person he saw was carrying a pellet gun or a rifle, and admitted he only heard it was a rifle on the news.
Defence also questioned why, if Armann was in the middle of a shooting spree, he would have driven so calmly — and why he would have returned to the scene of the crime if he was the gunman.
The court has already heard from several witnesses who have identified Arfmann at the scene of the shooting, though no one who has testified so far witnessed him pull the trigger.
The court has already heard that Arfmann was arrested the day of the shooting in a stolen Mustang with a rifle and a knife inside.
The trial is slated to last eight weeks and will hear from as many as 30 witnesses.
Comments