‘ Why me?’ fatal shooting victim cried

Witness testifies cousin murdered during drug deal

The victim of a drug- related homicide cried out the suspect’s name moments before being shot dead during a crack cocaine deal on a southeast Calgary street, a witness testified in court Wednesday.

Deng Lino Keror, 23, is on trial in Court of Queen’s Bench for seconddegree murder in the shooting death of Philip Salviu Anny on Sept. 30, 2012.

Testifying for the Crown, the victim’s cousin, Deng Majak, said Keror had called him in the minutes before the fatal confrontation to buy some crack cocaine.

Majak and Anny, who lived together in Applewood, drove in Majak’s van to the nearby intersection of Applewood Drive and Appleside Close S. E., where Keror and another man met them and climbed into the back seat of the vehicle.

Majak told Crown prosecutor Ken McCaffrey he took out a quantity of crack cocaine while Keror — who went by the nickname “Cash” — took out some money.

But Majak said things escalated when Anny, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, said “I don’t trust Cash,” and grabbed the drugs from his cousin’s hands.

Majak said he saw Keror, who was sitting directly behind him, pull out a nine- millimetre handgun. Majak said he then heard a shot, but was blinded by the resulting smoke and gunpowder.

Majak said he jumped out of the

I keep telling Philip, ‘ Let’s go.’ I was crying at him, ‘ Let’s go Philip’ and he wasn’t saying anything at all.

van and saw Keror in the back seat, grabbing Anny’s shoulder.

“All I heard was Philip say, ‘ Why me, Cash? Why me, Cash?’” he told the six- man, six- woman jury.

There was a second shot in quick succession, Majak said, and he turned to run from the scene.

But under cross- examination by defence lawyer Karen Molle, Majak admitted he didn’t see Keror fire the gun at his cousin.

“You saw Mr. Keror holding Philip, correct?” asked Molle. “Yes,” Majak replied. “But you did not see Mr. Keror shoot Philip. Am I also correct?” asked Molle. “You are correct,” said Majak. Majak testified that, as he ran from the scene, hopped a nearby fence and crawled under a backyard deck, he heard two additional shots.

After he saw Keror and his companion — who has never been located or identified — drive away, Majak ran back to the scene and saw Anny, 24, lying on the road.

“I keep telling Philip, ‘ Let’s go.’ I was crying at him, ‘ Let’s go Philip’ and he wasn’t saying anything at all,” said Majak, who began crying as he viewed crime scene photos of his cousin entered as court exhibits.

Majak testified that Anny had armed himself with a knife and put it down the front of his pants prior to leaving the house, but told McCaffrey he never saw his cousin take it out during the confrontation with Keror.

Majak called 911 and said he drove away from the scene to get Anny’s brother, Benjamin, from their nearby home and tell him what happened. They raced back to the scene, where they were initially confronted by police officers who responded to the gunshots.

The trial continues before the jury and Justice Beth Hughes.