Many people were outside the Lucky Bar in downtown Victoria in the early hours of March 1, 2022 and saw the fight during which John Dickinson got stabbed.
On Monday (June 10), the jury in the second-degree murder trial of Mohamed Daud Omar heard from three of these eye-witnesses. All three worked at the bar and had interacted with both men in the lead up to the fight that ended with Dickinson bleeding on the sidewalk.
Witnesses included the head of bar security and a doorman — who together had tried to break up the fight — as well as a woman checking coats who had a view of the events from her perch near the entrance.
Dickinson died after being stabbed once in the chest and once in the abdomen.
Omar is representing himself as he contests the murder charge. He chose not to cross-examine or question any of the testimony from the three witnesses.
All three described a similar version of events that night. Their combined testimony reconstructed the following narrative.
It was a Monday night, meaning it was 90s night at the Lucky Bar. This is a popular event, and draws larger-than-normal crowds.
Dickinson was a regular bar patron, and staff were familiar with him. He was attending 90s night with his girlfriend.
Both were thought to be intoxicated by the witnesses, though Dickinson’s girlfriend more so.
They had been at the bar for a while by the time Omar arrived.
Omar appeared more sober than the couple, but also seemed more angry and agitated, the witnesses testified.
At some point an argument began inside the bar between Dickinson and Omar. Dickinson tried to escort Omar out of the bar, saying something to the effect of “He can’t be here.”
Omar was able to get back in once or twice before the head of security, Caleb Parshyn, directed the doorman, Rupert Cameron, to keep him out.
The testimony was conflicting as to whether Dickinson was asked to leave the bar or was leaving of his own volition. Parshyn testified he tried to stall Dickinson from leaving to prevent him stepping out in front of the bar where Omar was standing. According to Cameron — who was stationed out front — Omar was near the entrance and seemed agitated.
Parshyn tried to buy some time by chatting to Dickinson, but Dickinson wanted to go.
On the way out, Dickinson saw Omar. He pushed his girlfriend to the side and charged toward Omar while yelling indecipherable expletives, Parshyn said.
After a brief tussle, Dickinson ended up on top of Omar. The expletives he was shouting turned to grunts as the two fell to the ground.
Parshyn and Cameron instantly tried to pull the two men apart and the whole fight unfolded in about 45 seconds, according to Parshyn. As they got the men separated, Cameron tried to lift Dickinson to his feet.
Cameron told the court he was able to stand Dickinson up very briefly before he became “dead weight.”
Parshyn described seeing Cameron roll Dickinson over and exposing a wound on the his stomach that was bad enough for some of his intestines to be on the outside of his body.
Dickinson’s girlfriend tried to put pressure on the wound, but Parshyn quickly took over.
All three witnesses said Omar then fled the scene toward Wharf Street.
According to initial opening statements from Crown prosecutors in the trial, a man who identified himself as Mohamed Omar had called 911 less than an hour after the fight saying he had stabbed another man after an altercation at the Lucky Bar.
It is still unknown what sparked the argument, and none of the witnesses were able to shed any light on this major question mark.
The trial is expected to run until the end of June.
