A man accused of fatally shooting an Abbotsford, B.C. police officer appeared in court Thursday, nearly a year after the constable died.
Oscar Ferdinand Arfmann, 66, was charged with first-degree murder following the incident on Nov. 6, 2017.
Police were called to a strip mall on Mount Lehman Road for reports of a truck theft. A witness had blocked the truck in to the parking lot, and the trapped suspect opened fire.
Const. John Davidson was among the first to arrive at the scene, and was hit by a bullet as he tried to apprehend the shooter. He died in hospital that day, and was remembered as a hero at a ceremony earlier this week.
Arfmann has remained in custody since the shooting, and appeared in court briefly Thursday morning wearing an orange prison sweatsuit. A publication ban covers many of the details about what happens at pre-trial proceedings.
He's scheduled to face a jury in January, in an eight-week trial expected to be so well-attended it was moved to a courthouse in another city. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 19.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Ben Miljure
