Defendant identified as a gunner captured in CCTV footage

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Shootout suspect Yemet Obon was a man captured by a security camera showing a shootout in a busy beltline parking lot, a police officer familiar with the accused who was testified on Tuesday.

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Constant Gregory McNeill said Det had asked him to review the CCTV footage. Jennifer Doolan of the Guns and Gangs unit has determined whether one of the participants can be identified in the February 29, 2020 shootings.

McNeil told prosecutor Heather Morris that he was familiar with Obon by observing him two times, including one at the Calgary Court Center just three months before the shootout.

He said on November 20, 2019, he saw Obon move back and forth in the court corridor and at some point go to the fountain for about 10 minutes.

“Because it was a pre-COVID, there was no mask and we were pretty close,” McNeil said.

On March 2, 2020, just two days after the Beltline shooting, he watched a CCTV video on the scene, showing a lot of white sedans parked on 11th Avenue and 1st Street Southwest.

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“Passengers seemed to go out and run away, and drivers seemed to go out and shoot,” McNeil said.

“Who did you notice?” Asked the prosecutor.

“The driver as Mr. Yemet Obon.”

Obon has been accused of firing restricted firearms with the intention of being injured in connection with an incident that occurred around 3:15 pm in the city’s populous Beltline district.

McNeil said he was able to take a closer look at them after Doulan played the videos.

“I was able to see some features by pausing and starting … which helped solidify my belief that it was Mr. Obon,” he said.

Police said the suspect’s movements, gait, and physique all helped to reach the conclusion that the suspect was captured in the video.

“Just click,” Hey, that’s the same guy who was in the courthouse that day, “I know. I know he’s Yemet Obon, “McNeil said.

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Under the defense counsel, Kim Ross suggested that the features, large nose, large lips, and high forehead that McNeil used to identify Obon were common to many black men.

“All you have to do is give us some of the common characteristics that many black men have, right?” Ross said.

“It’s the correct answer,” McNeil replied.

Meanwhile, firearms expert Lauren Black testified that he had examined five cartridge shells found in the field, including four that were believed to have been fired from the same weapon.

Black said the markings on these shells are consistent with the four manufacturers of pistols.

“These are manufacturers of semi-automatic pistols that produce these types of class characteristics,” she said of the shell markings.

If convicted of the release of restricted weapons, Obon will face a minimum of five years in prison.

His trial will resume on Wednesday.

KMartin@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @KMartinCourts