Saint John shooting victim's wound 'incompatible with life,' paramedic testifies

Medical witnesses told a jury in Saint John that Alexander Bishop's wound was not survivable. 

Advanced-care paramedic George Scott testified Thursday at the first-degree murder trial of Zakkary Hyulett Reed. He said he was one of three paramedics who responded to the 911 call early on Aug. 20, 2023. 

He said a colleague cut Bishop's shirt open to reveal the wound. Scott said he determined the injury was "not compatible with life … and that resuscitation would be futile." 

The pathologist who did Bishop's autopsy the day after his death told the jury the wound in Bishop's upper chest measured about four by five centimetres and resulted in "significant" blood loss.

Dr. Mohammad Hossain said humans have an average of five litres of blood in their bodies. Bishop had about 2.5 litres of blood pooled in his chest cavity, plus an unknown amount of blood that poured out of the wound at the scene. 

Based on gunpowder residue that was visible around the wound, a picture of which was shown to the jury on Thursday afternoon, Hossain called it a "close-contact gunshot wound." 

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Annie Maltais, Hossain said he wasn't able to say exactly how far away the gun was, but estimated it was within "a foot."

Hossain also explained the results of a toxicology report based on blood samples taken from Bishop. According to the autopsy report, a copy of which was entered by the Crown as evidence, the toxicology report revealed Bishop "had consumed cocaine, amphetamine and fentanyl related products," including drugs commonly called ecstasy and meth. 

More eyewitness testimony

The jury also heard more testimony from Hanna Graham, who told the jury on Tuesday that she was standing beside Bishop when he was shot. She also identified Reed as the shooter. 

She said Reed, whom she described as an ex-boyfriend and her best friend, "was anxious and seemed not himself at all" leading up to the shooting.

She said Reed and Bishop had gotten into an argument about 15 to 20 minutes before the shooting. 

She and Bishop had been in a back room together, doing acid, meth and fentanyl together, she said.

Under cross-examination, Graham said the door to the room they were in may not have been closed, as she had previously stated, because she remembered the dogs, Mase and Diamond, running around.  

Maltais asked Graham if she remembered the much-larger Bishop taking a fighting stance with his fists raised and asking Reed, "You want to go, bud?"

She also asked Graham if she remembered Bishop pointing a weapon at Reed's face.

Graham said she didn't see a weapon. She also didn't remember other incidents put to her by Maltais.

"I suggest you took the bag of fentanyl that was on the table and at the same time you took the gun that Alex was carrying," said Maltais.

"No, not at all," responded Graham. 

She also denied washing her hands in the bathroom. When Maltais showed her pictures of the sink with blood in it and on the floor beside it, Graham said, "I didn't go into the bathroom before I left, though." 

The jury also heard from police witnesses on Thursday about the hunt for Reed after the shooting. 

Const. Tyler White said he had just arrived for a day shift when a description of Reed was aired over the police radio. 

Based on knowledge he had, White made his way to a residence on Main Street North and parked nearby to watch. Within a few minutes, a taxi pulled up and a man matching Reed's description got out of the back of the vehicle. 

The defence objected when White mentioned prior knowledge of Reed's associates, and the jury was warned to disregard any mention of the officer having "prior knowledge." Justice Kathryn Gregory told jurors not to use it in their decision-making in the case. 

At that point, the trial ended for the day and White is expected to continue his testimony on Friday morning.