The trial of a man accused of shooting his pregnant ex-girlfriend in East Vancouver resumed Monday, with a witness conclusively identifying him as being at the scene with a gun.
Carleton Stevens has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and possession of a prohibited firearm in the attack, which caused the twenty-six-week pregnant victim to lose her baby.
The shooting happened on May 18, 2018 at a print shop near Main and Prior streets.
The prosecution’s case hinges on proving the identity of the shooter.
On Monday, Jeff Grayston, who owns the print shop, pointed directly at Stevens and said he saw the accused with a gun.
He told the court he could make Stevens out clearly, and added that he saw the victim — identified only as JY due to a publication ban — on the floor with a hole in her belly.
“It’s incredibly tragic,” Grayston told Global News after delivering his testimony.
He added that he was “100 per cent” sure Stevens was who he saw the day of the shooting, adding “oh yes, he’s the one.”
He said despite the violent nature of the allegations, he had no misgivings about testifying.
“It was about justice. I wasn’t about to be afraid to show up for any reason,” he said.
Last week, JY testified that she’d seen Stevens standing over her, assembling the gun before she was shot.
She went on to tell the court Stevens had accused her of being unfaithful, wanted her to get an abortion, and that he had threatened to shoot her on more than one occasion.
The court has previously heard that the bullet she was shot with had severed the baby’s umbilical cord.
A garbage truck operator testified Monday that the he found the weapon, a 70-centimetre .22-caliber makeshift gun, under a dumpster along with a mask near the crime scene, four days after the shooting.
Stevens’ defence has suggested that someone else pulled the trigger, and that Stevens had stayed at the scene to try and make sure JY was OK.
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