Revealed Dec 11, 2024 • Final up to date 2 hours in the past • 6 minute learn
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Superior Courtroom Justice Patricia Moore listens whereas defence lawyer Ricardo Golec questions Carlos Guerra Guerra in a London court docket on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Charles Vincent/Particular to The )
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Carlos Guerra Guerra stated that whereas he shot Josue Silva in what he referred to as self-defence, he’s “ashamed” about every thing that occurred.
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“I’m disappointed in my past self,” he stated whereas testifying Wednesday at his second-degree homicide trial within the capturing loss of life of Silva, 18, on July 31, 2021. “This should never have happened.
“If I had been smarter back then, maybe this could have been avoided.”
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It was a protracted day of Guerra Guerra, 23, explaining what occurred earlier than, after and through the few seconds when he says he was confronted by two younger males on a darkish path main out of the bush get together on Pack Highway in southwest London.
Guerra Guerra had requested them in the event that they had been those desiring to “jump this girl,” particularly Emily Altmann, now 22, the buddy who had summoned him for help.
He was masked and crashing a celebration the place he knew nobody in an unfamiliar a part of city. Solely Guerra Guerra knew he had a loaded handgun he claimed to make use of as a prop in his music movies within the sidebag draped throughout his physique, however insisted he by no means supposed to make use of it.
He stated he solely pulled it out after being set upon by the lads, put to the bottom with punches and “looked up and saw one of the individuals standing over me. All I saw was a machete in his hand.”
It was black machete, he stated. “I was terrified . . . It’s a fear you can’t really describe.”
He hadn’t seen any weapons on the lads when he first encountered them, Guerra Guerra stated.
“He was above me and I see him move his arms . . . I remember grabbing the gun and pointing it towards where that male was. I looked away and I closed my eyes and I pulled the trigger and I felt the gun fire. That’s when my eyes opened and I looked back.”
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He knew that his goal was hit. “I see him stagger back and fall over. And then I just remember scrambling and running.”
Guerra Guerra has pleaded not responsible to second-degree homicide within the loss of life of Silva, a Western College scholar, and the assault with a weapon, specifically a blunt object, of Silva’s greatest buddy, Logan Marshall.
The trial, now in its eighth week, has seen its share of twists and surprises. There was different eyewitness accounts, however none like Guerra Guerra’s. Some witnesses reported hiding within the bush in concern after studying folks with weapons had been coming into the get together following an altercation over a spilled drink between Altmann and her mates and different partygoers.
The jury was instructed earlier that Dylan Schaap, 23, Guerra Guerra’s buddy, had pleaded responsible to manslaughter and assault with a weapon in one other continuing.
Altmann initially was charged with Guerra Guerra, however midway by means of the trial, she and her defence crew had been excused from the continuing. Superior Courtroom Justice Patricia Moore instructed the jury to not speculate as to why.
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Golec made a short opening assertion earlier than calling Guerra Guerra, saying his shopper would clarify how he acted in self-defence.
Carlos Guerra Guerra leaves the London courthouse along with his mom on Oct. 15, 2024. (Derek Ruttan/The )
Guerra Guerra, who presents as articulate and considerate, is a Banting secondary college grad who was working for his father’s contracting firm in the summertime of 2021, and splitting his time between the properties of his divorced mother and father.
His actual ardour is music. “I’m a musical artist. I was a musician, so I would write music, release music” underneath the stage identify LBK Silver, he stated.
Schaap, he stated, was considered one of his closest mates and virtually “like a brother.” He stated he knew Schaap’s girlfriend Candice Jamieson, and was in a friends-with-benefits relationship with Kaiah Edmonds. All three had been with Guerra Guerra the evening Silva was shot.
He additionally knew Altmann, a girl he met in spring 2021. He stated she drove a BMW, was going to Western College and needed to be a health care provider. He noticed her as “someone who would be a good influence in my life.”
Guerra Guerra agreed there have been movies discovered on Schaap’s and Guerra Guerra’s telephones of them with weapons. He stated they had been made in late July 2021. Earlier than that, Guerra Guerra stated he’d by no means held an actual gun.
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“My interest was rooted in my musical career that I was trying to follow,” he stated. “In the entertainment industry, for rap artists and hip-hop artists, they always portray this image of being in streets, being tough. They like to show firearms in videos.”
Guerra Guerra stated he studied “these people’s behaviour” in movies and “I thought it would probably be cool to have one of these as a prop, maybe bring more attention and push my career forward.”
A faux gun wouldn’t do, he stated, as a result of folks “might question your authenticity.”
Guerra Guerra stated he by no means supposed to shoot anybody. The gun was considered one of 5 Schaap produced in late July 2021 that he was preserving for an unknown individual in a pillow case at his house.
He stated Schaap requested him to take over storing the weapons, which he did by hiding them at his father’s residence.
The day earlier than the capturing, Guerra Guerra stated he determined to retrieve “one of the more unique-looking guns” and search for a vacant space to shoot “a promotional video.” He was unsuccessful, he stated, so he picked up Schaap and Jamieson and headed to the Fanshawe Faculty space to discover a get together. Edmonds joined them.
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The gun was nonetheless with him, in his aspect bag along with his keys and pockets.
Josue Silva. (Submitted)
They had been sitting in Guerra Guerra’s Dodge Journey when a “frantic” Altmann began calling and imploring them to return to her assist “because these guys are going to jump (her).”
She stated nothing a few spilled drink or an argument, Guerra Guerra stated, and he determined to go to her. “I just wanted to make sure she was OK and get her on her way.”
He had by no means been to a bush get together, and he thought the worst factor to occur could be a fist combat. At no time did Altmann say her tormentors had been armed.
He drove to Pack Highway and located Altmann and her mates. He parked his SUV and regarded leaving the gun in it, however was involved somebody may discover it in the event that they broke into his automobile.
He had the gun within the bag with him when he obtained out of the SUV. He spoke to Altmann, who needed to return to the get together. Guerra Guerra stated he didn’t need her to return in alone, however couldn’t recall why Altmann needed to go again into the bush.
He additionally wore a COVID masks, he stated, as a result of if there was a fist combat and somebody was damage, he didn’t need anybody to know he was concerned.
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Guerra Guerra stated he and the others made small discuss as they went again in, and he lingered across the fireplace on excessive alert for somebody bothering Altmann, till he made the decision for him and others to depart as a result of they had been “bored.”
As they left, he stated he may see silhouettes within the bushes, after which there have been folks exiting the get together. He stated he heard somebody say: “Oh, that’s them.”
He was confronted by one of many younger males. Guerra Guerra testified he stated to him: “You’re one of the guys bothering these people and wanting to jump this girl.”
There was “an escalation,” he stated. One other younger man stepped up beside the individual speaking to Guerra Guerra and shortly, he stated, he was attacked and brought to the bottom. He was punching again when he noticed the machete and pulled the gun, he stated.
After the shot went off, he stated he ran to his SUV and took off. Golec took Guerra Guerra by means of textual content messages and group chats the jury has seen by which Guerra Guerra warned Altmann to maintain quiet. He testified he was attempting to guard her and feared she would take her personal life.
He threw his clothes within the trash, he stated, and the gun and the opposite firearms went again to Schaap.
Guerra Guerra stated he wished he may flip again the clock, including he needed everybody to know, “I never wanted Josue to die.”
“Whether people believe me or not, I want to say I’m sorry. Sorry for what I did,” he stated.
The Crown’s cross-examination is anticipated to start on Thursday.
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