Richard Bain murder trial hears Metropolis head of security helped tackle gunman

A security guard working at the front door of the Parti Québécois's 2012 election night victory party heard his name come across his radio: "Abdul, Abdul, something just exploded outside the back door."

After running out back with two provincial police agents, the security guard saw a man running away. All three of them chased after the man, and when they caught up, Abdul Ayoola saw he had a gun.

That gun's too close- Abdul Ayoola, Metropolis head of security 

"We took him to the ground," Ayoola told the jury Friday in Richard Bain's first-degree murder trial. "I assisted the officers."

Bain is accused in the shooting death of lighting technician Denis Blanchette on Sept. 4, 2012, at the back entrance of the Metropolis nightclub where then-PQ leader Pauline Marois had been delivering her victory speech.

 Ayoola, who was the head of security at Metropolis at the time, testified that his first thought after tackling the man behind the nightclub was to get the gun out of his reach.

Ayoola told the jury on Friday that he's been working at nightclubs for a long time, and his main thought was "That gun's too close."

He held on to the guns until an officer told him he could leave them on the grass.

​Earlier in the day, the court heard that it was Const. Francis Brodeur who later took control of the weapons and brought them to the police station. 

Brodeur testified that one of the guns — a semi-automatic rifle — had one of its cartridges jammed in the chamber.

'I just wanted to shoot over their heads'

On Thursday, the court heard what Bain said in the moments after he was arrested.

That testimony came from Montreal police officer, Const. Mathieu Brassard, who told the jury that after Bain was handcuffed outside the nightclub, he told him "I just wanted to shoot over their heads."

He said the defendant went on to say "I got one. It jammed."

Later, when Bain was in the backseat of a police cruiser, Brassard said he heard him say: "Your security was not good. The gun jammed. Grace of God, the gun jammed."

Brassard told the jury that he asked Bain why he did it. Though he couldn't understand the first part of the answer, he said it ended with "against the bitch."

In the Crown's opening arguments, prosecutors said they intended to demonstrate the attack on the election rally was politically motivated. 

'The English are waking up,' suspect shouts

8 years ago

Duration 7:58

Footage shows a man being led away by police after the Sept. 4, 2012 shooting outside Montreal's Metropolis nightclub.

Along with the murder charge, Bain also faces three counts of attempted murder and charges of arson and possession of an incendiary device for the attack.

Another stagehand, Dave Courage, was seriously injured in the shooting. He testified earlier this week. 

• Video shown in Richard Bain trial shows suspect yelling 'the English are waking up!'

The trial began last Thursday and is expected to last between six and eight weeks.

• Day 5: Richard Bain murder trial: 'Grace of God, the gun jammed'
• Day 4: 'Thank you, smile away,' surviving victim Dave Courage says to accused Richard Bain
• Day 3: 'I heard a scream, and I saw the blood': Stagehand tells jury he thought it was a joke
• Day 2: Bain upset he couldn't vote on day of PQ election night shooting, court hears
• Day 1: 'The English are waking up': Prosecution aims to prove political motive in Bain trial