Close X
Thursday, January 16, 2025
ADVT 
National

Man accused in B.C. police officer's death appears in Abbotsford court

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Nov, 2017 11:24 AM

    A man charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a British Columbia police officer appeared for the first time in court on Tuesday.

    Oscar Arfmann, 65, of Alberta, is charged in the death of Abbotsford Const. John Davidson, who died Nov. 6 after responding to a report of shots fired at members of the public.

    Arfmann, who has a beard and grey shoulder-length hair, appeared in court wearing a prison-issued red jumpsuit. He did not speak in court.

    His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 12.

    Arfmann has not yet entered a plea. His lawyer, Simon Buck, declined to speak outside court.

    Arfmann's family issued a statement earlier this month saying he "was never really the same" after his wife died five years ago. It says Arfmann was admitted to hospital in St. Paul, a town northeast of Edmonton, in July 2015 for a mental health evaluation, but he was released three days later.

    Abbotsford police Chief Bob Rich has said officers were called about a possible stolen vehicle in a parking lot of a shopping complex on Nov. 6.

    The caller hemmed in the vehicle while waiting for police to arrive, but a suspect emerged and began shooting at the caller and others, he said.

    When police officers arrived, there was an exchange of gunfire and Davidson was critically injured before being pronounced dead in hospital, Rich said. The suspect fled but was arrested at a nearby intersection, he said.

    Davidson, a 53-year-old father of three adult children, was remembered for his dedication to his community and sense of humour at a recent memorial service.

    Rick Young, who identified himself as a friend of Davidson, said outside court he was a kind man who cared deeply about his family and friends.

    "His wife and the family, they've lost a very special man," he said.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Halifax Cab Driver Saher Hamdan Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting Female Passenger

    Halifax Cab Driver Saher Hamdan Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting Female Passenger
    Saher Hamdan sexually assaulted a young woman as she waited to pay her fare on July 15, 2016.

    Halifax Cab Driver Saher Hamdan Guilty Of Sexually Assaulting Female Passenger

    Dad 'Hysterically Screaming' In Fire That Killed Five-Month-Old Baby

    Dad 'Hysterically Screaming' In Fire That Killed Five-Month-Old Baby
    EDMONTON — Police say a house fire that killed a five-month old baby and left his 29-year-old mother clinging to life in an Edmonton hospital was deliberately set.

    Dad 'Hysterically Screaming' In Fire That Killed Five-Month-Old Baby

    Jailhouse Suite: Bride, Groom Arrested In Edmonton After Post-Wedding Bar Brawl

    Jailhouse Suite: Bride, Groom Arrested In Edmonton After Post-Wedding Bar Brawl
    A bride and groom spent their first night of wedded bliss in jail when Edmonton police arrested them after a post-wedding brawl in a downtown bar.

    Jailhouse Suite: Bride, Groom Arrested In Edmonton After Post-Wedding Bar Brawl

    Mohammad Peyawary, 35, Tried To Bring Semi-Automatic On Board Flight From Winnipeg: Police

    Mohammad Peyawary, 35, Tried To Bring Semi-Automatic On Board Flight From Winnipeg: Police
    WINNIPEG — RCMP say a passenger tried to bring a semi-automatic handgun onboard a flight from Winnipeg to Toronto.

    Mohammad Peyawary, 35, Tried To Bring Semi-Automatic On Board Flight From Winnipeg: Police

    NDP's Jenny Kwan Says Liberals Are Misleading Asylum Seekers Over Border

    NDP's Jenny Kwan Says Liberals Are Misleading Asylum Seekers Over Border
    OTTAWA — The Liberal government is misleading people when it says there's no advantage to crossing illegally into Canada to seek asylum, NDP MP Jenny Kwan says.

    NDP's Jenny Kwan Says Liberals Are Misleading Asylum Seekers Over Border

    Markham Man, 53, In U.S. Custody Faces Additional Child Sexual Exploitation Charges In Canada

    Markham Man, 53, In U.S. Custody Faces Additional Child Sexual Exploitation Charges In Canada
    MARKHAM, Ont. — Ontario Provincial Police say a Canadian man charged in the U.S. after allegedly flying to Atlanta in an attempt to have sex with an underage girl he met online will face further charges in Canada.

    Markham Man, 53, In U.S. Custody Faces Additional Child Sexual Exploitation Charges In Canada