Victim almost didn’t get into the bar where he was killed, court hears

A 24-year-old man almost didn’t get in to the bar where he encountered the person alleged to have caused his death hours later, court heard Wednesday.

Raad Hamza and his friend Mohammad Khan were initially turned away at the door of Billiard Club on Dec. 19, 2014, because of a problem with Hamza’s identification, Khan testified on the first day of the trial of Kyle Ashton, 22, who is charged with manslaughter in connection to Hamza’s death.

After being refused entry, Khan said they left to pick up Hamza’s passport, and then returned to the bar at Whyte Avenue and 105 Street. Once inside, they began drinking and playing pool, but got kicked out after a conflict with another patron, Khan said. The pair managed to get back inside the bar through a different door, and stayed until last call.

That’s when Khan went outside to smoke, leaving Hamza with three men whom he told Khan were his friends. Khan said that was the last time he saw Hamza. He wasn’t allowed back into the bar after he finished his cigarette, so he began walking around, waiting for Hamza to call.

In an opening statement, Crown prosecutor John Watson told court that Ashton and Hamza knew each other, and that when they both ended up outside Billiard Club in the early hours of Dec. 20, 2014, Ashton hit Hamza.

“He punches him. He’s unconscious. He hits the ground,” Watson said.

Hamza was found lying on the sidewalk at about 2:20 a.m.

Ashton, who sat in the prisoner’s box Wednesday wearing a dark jacket, admits he was present at Billiard Club that night, but he entered a not-guilty plea to the manslaughter charge.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Ashok Gill questioned Khan about how much he and Hamza were drinking. Khan told court that they smoked a joint together before going into the bar, and that they had about 15 drinks between the two of them.

The trial continues Thursday.