Man convicted of manslaughter in death of off-duty Abbotsford cop in Nelson

A man has been convicted of manslaughter in the death of an off-duty Abbotsford police officer in Nelson, B.C., three years ago.

Const. Allan Young, 55, was struck in the head with a skateboard and critically injured on July 16, 2020, in the West Kootenay community and died several days later.

The court heard Young was dining with his wife on Nelson’s Baker Street, when he got up to confront an intoxicated Alex Willness who was causing a disturbance in the street, leading to the fatal altercation.

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The trial judge dismissed Willness’ claim of self-defence.

Young, a native of Scotland, was a 16-year veteran of the Abbotsford force and had worked in the patrol and drug enforcement units.

He immigrated to Canada in 1997 and was a police officer in Toronto before moving to the West Coast.

Willness is due back in court on Aug. 14 to fix a date for sentencing.

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