The final police radio voice recordings of Abbotsford Const. John Davidson were played in court at the trial of the man accused of killing him.

Oscar Arfmann, 67, is charged with first degree murder in the case. He has pleaded not guilty.

  • Maria Weisgarber was in court covering the trial. Scroll down or click here to read through the testimony in tweets.

During testimony from one of Davidson’s colleagues, Const. Kevin Murray, audio recordings were played of dispatchers and police communication over radio on Nov. 6, 2017 just before Davidson was shot in the parking lot of an Abbotsford shopping complex.

The recordings began with an an emergency tone, then a dispatcher can be heard announcing a report of shots fired at the complex on Mount Lehman Road. Murray testified he recognized Davidson’s voice, saying he was also responding to the call.

Davidson’s last radio dispatch referred to being behind a Mustang that was heading back into the mall. Later, the dispatcher announces a report of more shots fired.

Murray can be heard asking, “John, where are you?” After that, there’s a report of an officer down.

Jarin Skett took the stand earlier in the day, testifying about how she had been working in her office at the complex when she heard two shots and looked out the window to see Davidson fall.

“One of my coworkers yelled out, ‘He just shot a cop,’” Skett told the court.

Skett testified she tried to get through to 911, then ran out to the fallen officer. When asked why by the Crown, she tearfully told the court: “'Cause he didn’t need to be alone.”

She testified that she also tried to call for help using Davidson’s police radio. During the recordings, a voice could be heard at one point, saying, “Hello, hello.”

Skett told the court Davidson was lying face down with his hands above his head, and blood was on the ground.

Murray testified he responded to the same call as Davidson regarding the first report of shots fired. He told the court he had his first “pang of anxiety” when he couldn’t reach Davidson.

Murray testified he took a deep breath and exited his vehicle, thinking he was going to be shot.

He then came across Davidson lying on the ground, he said. 

Witness Steven Vanderveen, who had been at the complex to get lunch that day, was on the stand earlier on Friday. He told the court he heard two shots when he was getting out of his vehicle, and saw a man carrying a gun.

Vanderveen told the court he only saw the man from the back, and described seeing grey hair coming out from under a black hat, and the long barrel of a firearm.

Vanderveen testified he initially hid around the corner of a fast food restaurant and watched as a black Mustang, which had been blocked by a blue pickup truck, maneuvered out of a parking stall and hopped a curb. Vanderveen told the court he jotted down the license plate number of the Mustang and then went inside the restaurant, where an employee was on the phone with a 911 call taker.

Vanderveen testified he relayed the number to the dispatcher, and then heard two more shots coming from the direction of the strip mall parking lot.

In cross examination, he said he did not see the man’s face or hear him say anything.

Earlier this week, the court heard testimony from a car dealership employee and general manager, who told the court they had recognized the Mustang as a car that had been stolen from their lot days before the shooting, and police were called.

The employee, Corey Thomas, testified he drove his blue Ford F-150 to the shopping complex and boxed in the Mustang so it could not move. He then testified he was confronted by Arfmann.

“He told me to 'move that piece of shit,'" Thomas told the court.

Thomas said he then told Arfmann that police were on their way.

"I’ll show you what I have in store for the police," Arfmann said, according to Thomas’ testimony.

In its opening statement, the Crown said Davidson was the first officer to arrive on scene and was shot twice from behind.

None of the allegations have yet been proven in court.

The trial is on a two-week break, and will resume June 17.

Replay what happened Friday through tweets from CTV News Vancouver Maria Weisgarber in court. Viewing this on our mobile beta site? Scroll down and tap the link to view a compatible version.