Halifax Alehouse bouncer charged in December homicide of Ryan Michael Sawyer

A 37-year-old man has been charged in the homicide of Ryan Michael Sawyer, who was found unresponsive near the Halifax Alehouse in the early hours of Dec. 24, 2022.

In a media release, Halifax Regional Police said Alexander Pishori Levy turned himself in at the police’s Gottingen Street headquarters Wednesday morning. He faces charges of manslaughter and criminal negligence and was scheduled to appear in provincial court Wednesday.

Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. Nicolas Gagnon confirmed that at the time of the incident, Levy was employed as security staff at the bar.

He could not provide further details about what happened that night or if Levy is still employed with the establishment.

Around 1:15 a.m. on Dec. 24, police responded to a disturbance involving several people in the 1700 block of Brunswick Street. Upon arrival, officers located Sawyer, who was from Ajax, Ont., unresponsive on the sidewalk of Prince Street.

The 31-year-old was transported to the hospital, where he later died.

“Our thoughts remain with Ryan’s family and friends on the loss of their loved one,” the release read.

Police said investigators are not looking for additional suspects at the time.

Levy is also one of two Alehouse bouncers who are facing assault charges in relation to a separate incident at the bar on Oct. 10, 2022. The complainant alleges he was assaulted by staff members outside the bar.

Levy, along with Matthew Brenton Day, pleaded not guilty to assault in March. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Sept. 14, and the trial is scheduled to take place from April 30 to May 2, 2024.

As well, a civil suit has been filed against the Halifax Alehouse after an incident in August 2022. The suit alleges the bar’s bouncers badly beat a patron on Aug. 14, leaving him with physical and mental trauma.

Neither of these additional cases has been proven in court.

— with files from Alex Cooke