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Two bottles of beer and a red SOLO cup were presented in an Edmonton courtroom as an accused killer tries to argue he was too intoxicated to remember repeatedly firing a pistol into a wounded man at a party.

Christopher Wilson took the stand Thursday during the second week of his trial on charges of second-degree murder. Along with co-accused Abdullahi Yalahow, Wilson is accused of gunning down 22-year-old Hamza Mohamed during a party at the Duggan Community League Hall Aug. 29, 2021.

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Wilson, 39, spoke softly while under direct examination by defence lawyer Dino Bottos. He stands six feet tall, wore a light grey suit, his hair in a bun with a goatee and moustache.

Wilson told jurors he spent the afternoon and evening prior to the shooting drinking and smoking marijuana. He and Yalahow later met at a bar before travelling to a “90s Badness Party” at the hall with a group of friends and acquaintances.

The group arrived and ordered alcohol, including a 26-ounce bottle of vodka and a 40-ounce bottle of cognac, which Wilson used to mix himself a number of strong Hennessy and Cokes.

To emphasize the alleged strength of the drinks, Bottos produced a SOLO cup, asking his client to indicate the size of a typical pour. Bottos also brought bottles of Corona and Heineken to establish the typical size of the beers his client was drinking.

Wilson claimed he remembers grabbing food and Cokes for the table, after which his memory is blank.

“From there, it’s all black,” he told jurors. “That was my last memory, then I woke up in the police station.”

A ‘gruesome’ scene   

During the Crown’s opening address last week, prosecutor Thomas O’Leary warned jurors of the “gruesome” nature of the killing, much of which was caught on the hall’s CCTV cameras.

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Mohamed was repeatedly shot at point blank range, after which the accused repeatedly beat the body with his gun, O’Leary said.

Wilson, Yalahow and a third man arrived at the hall at half-past midnight. Mohamed arrived with friends just before 4 a.m. O’Leary said the shooting began minutes later, when the third man — who is facing trial next year — opened fire on Mohamed. CCTV footage showed the man “stalking” Mohamed across the hall’s gymnasium, firing at him as a stampede of people made for the exits, O’Leary said. One of the bullets likely hit Mohamed in the spine, causing him to collapse.

Yalahow is later seen exiting the hall through a side door and re-entering from the main entrance against the flow of terrified partygoers. The Crown says Yalahow approached Mohamed, stood over him, and fired a round from a handgun. He tried to shoot a second time but was stopped by a security guard, who swatted the gun away.

Mohamed — who brought his own handgun to the party — took the opportunity to shoot Yalahow, who was struck in the abdomen and tumbled through a doorway into a hall. The two wounded men exchanged gunfire through the doorway until Wilson — who remained in the main hall — circled behind Mohamed and struck him in the head, disarming him. Wilson grabbed the gun and stood over the wounded man.

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According to the Crown, Wilson then shouted “Yo, where you at?” Yalahow, lying wounded in the hallway, allegedly shouted back “yo, hit him, grease him.”

Wilson then fired four rounds at Mohamed’s head, three of which struck him in the skull. Afterwards, he repeatedly struck Mohamed’s head with his gun, the Crown alleges. He then went to check on Yalahow in the hallway, telling him three times “Yo, I shot that guy” before returning to strike the body one more time.

When a DJ who remained in the building confronted him, Wilson allegedly replied “Yo, I’m going to shoot you in the face.” He then left the building and walked toward St. Augustine’s Catholic Elementary School, while Yalahow was carried to a car and rushed to University of Alberta Hospital. Prosecutors say Wilson abandoned the gun in the bushes, where police found it later that morning.

Wilson was arrested after returning to the scene, where a security guard pointed him out to police. Officers noticed his hands and shoes were stained with blood and arrested him. Yalahow was arrested in hospital.

The third accused — Alinur Mohamed Mussa — was arrested 10 months later and is scheduled to begin a manslaughter trial next June.

Yalahow — who was initially charged with first-degree murder — has declined to call evidence.

Court heard both pistols found at the scene were unregistered.

The trial continues.

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