‘I didn’t shoot anybody’: testimony wraps up at Prince Albert murder trial

The Crown’s four witnesses this week were all the co-accused, who shared different accounts of the shooting incident but all seemed to agree the victim and several others, had come to a midtown area home to settle a drug debt. All the witnesses also claimed to have not even known who Bear was.

Upon hearing a “loud bang”, several men in the home reportedly armed themselves with guns and took positions by the door. Second later, they began firing towards the driveway area where one of the intruders had been pouring gasoline into the back of a parked car.

That person would turn out to be Byron Bear, and after his body was loaded into the back of the car, it was later driven to and dropped off at a rural area near Rosthern.

Byron Bear was reported missing on Dec. 6. (Facebook)

The Crown’s final witness on the stand was Daniel “Danny Boy” Oliver, who despite being mentioned this week as someone who may have actually killed Bear, and was overheard saying “I got him”, maintained he never even touched a gun or was in the car that drove to Saskatoon.

This contradicted testimony from other witnesses who said he was not only in the car, but that he was the one who suggested going that way as he had family in Saskatoon. The car that belonged to another of the co-accused was found later that day by police at an address on Saskatoon’s east side.

When cross-examined by defence lawyer Evan Strelioff, Oliver was asked about the coincidence of where the car was found, and Oliver denied any knowledge.

Earlier this week, it was brought up during testimony Oliver owed someone a large drug debt, and that person was reportedly at the house where the shooting occurred.

On this point, Oliver did admit to receiving a threat earlier that someone was coming to “blast him”, but said when he arrived at the midtown home, all he did was consume cocaine.

Further acknowledging the man he owed money to was a very violent guy and had just been released from prison, Oliver confirmed he also did see that same man outside the house, firing a gun.

When Jackson Henry testified earlier this week, he claimed that after the shooting, Oliver had stayed with him for awhile at a house on 22nd Street.

“I don’t even know him,” Oliver replied on Wednesday, when asked by Strelioff about Henry.

Explaining how the house he went to was a party house, Oliver said Henry was “barely there.”

A large amount of blood was found in the driveway area where Bear was shot and killed. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Raine Farrow, who testified on Tuesday and who owned the black Mercedes, describe his relationship with Olive as “OK”, but added Oliver often used him for rides, and to get drugs.

Henry, Oliver, and Farrow all have trial dates pending.

Another of the co-accused, Riley Primeau, was sentenced in February after entering a guilty plea to manslaughter. He received an eight-year prison term.

While Primeau was not the one to shoot Bear, he was still considered a party to the offence and had been armed with his own gun, which he fired into the air.

At the time of his disappearance, Byron Bear was working to complete training to become a medical taxi driver. He also had a nine-year-old daughter.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell

by Nigel Maxwell

‘I didn’t shoot anybody’: testimony wraps up at Prince Albert murder trial

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