The man accused of killing an Abbotsford police officer in a dramatic shootout two years ago will not testify at his murder trial, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Oscar Arfmann is accused of shooting Const. John Davidson twice from behind on Nov. 6, 2017, in what Crown have described to the jury as an “ambush.” He’s charged with first-degree murder, and has pleaded not guilty.
Lawyer Martin Peters told the B.C. Supreme Court in News Westminster that no evidence will be presented in his client’s defence, effectively closing their case.
WATCH: (Aired June 21) Officers testify against suspect accused of killing Abbotsford constable
Final arguments have now been scheduled for Aug. 1 and 2. The trial has been adjourned until those dates.
The court has already heard from several witnesses who have identified Arfmann at the scene of the shooting, though no one who testified witnessed him pull the trigger.
The court has also already heard that Arfmann was arrested the day of the shooting in a stolen Mustang.
Last month, Const. Shawn Alton testified he purposefully rammed a black Mustang he believed was the suspect vehicle with his own, hitting it twice before bringing it to a stop.
Alton told the court he could see the stock of a rifle inside the suspect vehicle, along with a man who appeared to be stunned, as other officers quickly descended on the scene.
“It was chaos,” Alton told the court.
“He was covered in blood. He had a large gash across his head, a cut to the front of the face.”
Alton testified he was “110 per cent confident” in his actions, and that the vehicle he rammed was the suspect’s.
Witness Larry Siefert also testified in June that he was at a McDonald’s when he heard loud gunshots.
Siefert’s dashcam recorded what Crown said was a brief glimpse of Arfmann holding a rifle, along with a 911 call Siefert made to report the gunshots.
WATCH: (Aired June 17) Dramatic testimony at trial of man accused of killing Abbotsford police officer
Corey Thomas, the manager of the Abbotsford car lot from which Arfmann allegedly stole the Ford Mustang, testified in May he briefly encountered Arfmann before the shootout.
The court heard that Thomas had spotted the Mustang across the street from the dealership and boxed it in with his blue pickup truck.
Thomas told the court that as Arfmann walked towards him and his boss, his employer told the suspect “police have been called, you might as well leave.”
Arfmann replied, “I’ll show you what I have in store for the police,” followed by, “Move that piece of s**t,” referring to the truck, Thomas testified.
Thomas replied, “That’s not going to happen,” the court heard.
He said Arfmann then shot the truck twice, before fleeing.
Arfmann did end up briefly taking the stand earlier in the trial, when an officer escorting Arfmann out of the prisoner’s box testified he heard the accused dispute a witness’s testimony on what the shooting suspect was wearing at the time.
The statement became subject of a “voir dire” process — an in-trial hearing to determine the admissibility of new evidence — which required Arfmann to testify to what he muttered to the officer.
Crown and defence argued over whether Arfmann had said “what a dangerous f–k I must be” or it sure as f–k wasn’t me.”
Ultimately, Madam Justice Carol Ross threw out Arfmann’s statement, calling the evidence “inadmissible.”
WATCH: (Aired May 29) Trial of man accused of killing Abbotsford police officer hears from man who spoke to accused
Defence has argued their client’s mental health is an issue, despite Crown arguing Arfmann has already been presumed to be fit.
At the time of Arfmann’s arrest, his family said he had been struggling with mental health issues.
The defence also argued throughout the trial Crown’s witnesses have mistaken their client as the shooter, suggesting someone else was responsible for Davidson’s death.
— With files from Rumina Daya
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