Man accused of killing Abbotsford cop pleads not guilty

ABBOTSFORD (NEWS 1130) — Oscar Arfmann, the man accused of killing Abbotsford Police Cst. John Davidson in 2017, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder.

Monday is the first day of his trial at BC Supreme Court in New Westminister. The judge-only trial is expected to last eight weeks.

Davidson was hit by a bullet as he responded to reports of a stolen vehicle, which then turned into reports of shots fired, at a strip mall in Abbotsford in November of 2017.

He was the first officer on the scene, going in without support to try to stop the gunman and protect bystanders.

Details told during the trial are graphic, with Crown saying Davidson was shot from behind before he fell face flat on the ground. That’s when Crown claims Arfmann shot him a second time as Davidson lay motionless face down.

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Related article: Police officer killed in Abbotsford remembered by British colleagues

Davidson’s death prompted an outpouring of grief in the community and across the region with thousands of people lining the streets for his funeral procession.

“John Davidson is my hero, he is this community’s hero,” said Bob Rich, the Abbotsford Police Department’s chief constable at the time.

“We ask our police officers that when somebody is putting people’s lives in danger, when there’s an active shooter, we no longer wait for cover, we no longer set up teams, the first person in goes,” said Rich, who retired in September 2018. “John Davidson was the first person in, and away he went. He died protecting you and me.”

The police motorcade escorting the body of Cst. John Davidson. (Lasia Kretzel, NEWS 1130 Photo)

APD spokesperson Sgt. Judy Bird suggests her fellow officers are glad the trial is getting underway.

“Since the tragic murder of Constable John Davidson, our friend and colleague, the men and women of the Abbotsford Police Department have looked forward to the commencement of the trial,” she said in a statement.

Related article: APD on the mend, several months after officer was shot and killed

“The trial will move the entire community into another phase of healing. A number of citizens and police officers will be called on to give difficult testimony. Further comment will have to wait until the conclusion of the trial.”

– With files from Isabelle Raghem, Martin MacMahon, Sonia Aslam and Alison Bailey

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