Cory Van Gilder broke down and sobbed on the witness stand Thursday when he remembered delivering the punch that killed a man outside a Âé¶čAV Cactus Club.
âHe wasnât stopping, he was coming toward the walkway, and headed toward three younger kids,â said Van Gilder, who told jurors of his memory of Zachary Gaudetteâs actions before the fatal altercation.
âI took a couple steps toward him and as soon as he turned toward me, I hit him.â
It was a punch that ruptured a blood vessel and caused Gaudette a brain bleed that turned fatal in the days that followed.
Jurors in the manslaughter case looking at the events of Feb. 17, 2016 were asked to leave the courtroom after Van Gilder succumbed to tears, allowing him time to compose himself.
Ten minutes later they returned and Van Gilder continued with testimony in his own defence.
By his account Gaudette was crazy, aggravated, angry and dangerous.
âHe said âI will fight all of you or any one of youâ â he repeated himself,â said Van Gilder, adding that Gaudetteâs arms were flailing and he had thrown his jacket and backpack down at the corner of Highway 97, seemingly to leave him unencumbered for a confrontation.
âHe was very loud and I could hear him over the traffic.â.
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The distance between the intersection and the restaurant was traversed in no time, and according to Van Gilder, Gaudette had focused his anger on the group outside the restaurant.
He asked around to see if anyone knew him, and they didnât. Then a friendâs girlfriend walked toward Gaudette and that concerned him, so he followed for a moment and then stepped in front of her.
She was called back by her boyfriend and Gaudette advanced toward the group of âkids,â said Van Gilder, speaking of the men in their early 20s.
He walked toward Gaudette, and the two âlocked eyesâ and thatâs when he hit him.
He didnât think heâd hit him hard enough to cause harm, nor did he intend to, he told jurors. He and friends went to another restaurant afterward, thinking that heâd just ended a potentially dangerous situation.
Days later when he found out that Gaudette had died âhis heart sank.â
On cross examination, Crown counsel Andrew Vandersluys asked Van Gilder to explain why he didnât leave or why he didnât do something to defuse the situation.
Van Gilder had competed in JiuJitsu competitions in 2010, and Vandersluys pointed out thatâs a sport where skills in disarming an assailant are taught.
Gaudette said he wasnât sure if there was a weapon, and that was why he just hit him.
Whether Gaudette had a weapon was the focus of much of Tuesdayâs portion of the trial.
Evidence in the manslaughter trial has concluded and the jury is likely to start deliberations on Monday.
kmichaels@kelownacapnews.com
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