The trial for a former bar security officer charged with manslaughter continued in a Halifax courtroom Tuesday, with testimony from paramedics, bar staff, and a cousin of the victim who witnessed the events of Christmas Eve 2022.
Alexander Pishori Levy, 40, is charged with manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death in the homicide of Ryan Sawyer.
At the time, Levy was employed as security staff at the Halifax Alehouse bar in downtown Halifax.
Around 1:15 a.m. on Dec. 24, 2022, police responded to a disturbance involving several people in the 1700-block of Brunswick Street. When officers arrived, they found Sawyer, who was from Ajax, Ont., unresponsive on the sidewalk of Prince Street, near the Halifax Alehouse.
The 31-year-old was transported to the hospital, where he later died.
Two paramedics testified Tuesday in the judge-only trial. They described how the victim was not breathing and without a pulse when they arrived on scene to find a police officer performing CPR.
They also described upwards of 100 people outside the bar, including first responders and a crowd of onlookers.
Paramedic Glenn Sentner told the court Sawyer “had blue lips” and was “pale” when he saw him. He was also covered in vomit, and continued to vomit during chest compressions.
“(We were) never able to get (his) heartrate back,” he said.
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Sawyer’s cousin, Madison Brennan, also took the stand, recounting the night she went out with him and his brother, Kyle.
Brennan said it was a busy night at the Alehouse, and that she lost track of her cousins a couple of times during their time at the bar.
She noted that upon arrival, Kyle Sawyer recognized Levy but the bouncer blew him off, saying, “I don’t care. I don’t know you.” She told the court Kyle Sawyer seemed shocked by the response.
Brennan described her cousins as “drunk” that night, and said she heard a commotion inside the bar. When she went outside and saw an officer trying to resuscitate Ryan Sawyer, she “started spiraling” and was “hysterical.”
Jason Fraser, a security guard on staff that night, said the two brothers were involved in the commotion and were asked to leave by himself and another security guard.
“Ryan was putting his jacket on and was getting ready to leave,” he said, adding that both brothers were agitated.
Fellow security staff member Simon Wheller echoed that sentiment, and called Ryan Sawyer’s reaction agitated.
“He was so agitated he couldn’t put his jack on right, kept putting it on upside down,” he said.
Trial began Monday
The trial began Monday, when four police officers testified about the night in question.
One officer told the court he witnessed Levy with Ryan Sawyer in a “chokehold” and that he knew something was very wrong with him because he had turned limp and his face was purple.
Another officer detailed his experience seeing Kyle Sawyer in a scuffle with another bouncer nearby.
Kyle Sawyer was arrested but later released without charges. He also took the stand Monday, describing what had been a fun night out with his brother — drinking at a couple bars before arriving at the Alehouse.
He recounted being asked to leave the bar after spilling his drink on a customer. He testified a verbal altercation took place outside the bar with the bouncers and that he pushed Levy.
Kyle Sawyer told the court he ended up on the ground with another bouncer, and recalled at one point screaming, “I can’t breathe.”
Ryan Sawyer’s death prompted calls to improve safety at the province’s bars and oversight for security staff.
In May 2023, the province announced that security staff at late-night bars will now need to undergo a criminal check and security training. They will also need to provide a criminal record check “on request” and complete a responsible beverage service training program.
The Halifax Alehouse has since closed down, and the building has been sold to a developer.
The trial is expected to continue into next week.
–with a file from Skye Bryden-Blom
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