Man found guilty of manslaughter in skateboard attack that killed off-duty B.C. police officer

WARNING: This story contains details of a violent attack.

A 28-year-old man has been found guilty of manslaughter in Nelson, B.C., for the death of Const. Allan Young, an off-duty police officer.

Alex Willness attacked Young with a skateboard on a main street in Nelson on July 16, 2020. During the trial, witnesses described the brutal incident, during which Young approached Willness, who was staggering down the street and yelling profanities with friends and told him to stop.

Witnesses told the court that Willness then whacked Young over the head with his skateboard. Willness later pleaded not guilty in court to one charge of manslaughter.

Young was 55 years old at the time of the attack and a 20-year veteran with the Abbotsford Police Department. He was sent to hospital in critical condition and died at Kelowna General Hospital five days later.

The guilty verdict was delivered in a Nelson courtroom on June 20, and a date for sentencing has been set for Aug. 14.

Skull fracture

In March, during the trial, a doctor who treated Young described his injuries.

Dr. Rahul Khosla, an emergency physician at Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson, said Young had "an open skull fracture" but was conscious.

Young was agitated, disorientated and not following commands, Khosla said, adding that Young underwent a CT scan that showed bleeding in the brain and increased pressure in the skull.

Young was later taken by ambulance to Kelowna General Hospital, which is more specialized in treating critically ill patients with head trauma, he said. 

'Stop it'

Witnesses also took the stand and described the confrontation between the two men and what led up to it.

Allison Howe told the court she had just arrived in Nelson, about 92 kilometres north of the border with the U.S., hours before and was having drinks with a group of friends when she heard yelling and swearing coming from a group of people further down the street.

She described seeing three people staggering down the street and yelling profanities at one another, which she said disturbed the mood on the patio.

"It was very loud and almost intolerable because of the disgusting things that these people were saying," Howe said.

She described the three as "very unsavoury" and said the way they were stumbling and yelling at each other made her think they were all "extremely high" on drugs. 

Another customer sitting at the patio, who she later learned was Young, appeared irritated and stood up to confront the men, Howe testified.

Howe told the court Young looked like he was intoxicated as he steadied himself against the railing.

Another witness, referred to as Mr. Tait in court, said he, too, witnessed the incident from where he was sitting on the same patio with his father.

He testified Young announced, "I've had enough of this," before he stepped over the patio railing and walked toward the group.

Young approached a man with a skateboard, told him to "stop it," and gestured with his hands for the man to relax, Tait said.

"The guy lifted up his skateboard and turned it into a bat and hit him in the side of the head," Tait testified. 

The witnesses said Young fell to the ground and hit his head on the cement street.

Both of them jumped into action, with Howe testifying she ran to help Young by holding his head and neck until paramedics arrived and Tait saying he and his father chased after the man with the skateboard.

Tait told the court he and his father caught up to the young man, who then turned toward them. 

"He lunged at my dad, and my father took him to the ground," Tait said. 

"I jumped on top of him. I picked him up and put him into a chokehold to hold him in place."