A Windsor murder trial took an unexpected turn on Monday when the accused, Abdishakur Harun, pleaded guilty to manslaughter moments before jury selection was set to begin. The 37-year-old admitted to firing two shots from the backseat of a car, killing the driver, Percy Basil Scott, during the early hours of November 18, 2021.
Details of the Incident
According to the agreed statement of facts presented to Superior Court Justice Jacqueline Horvat, Harun and another man met Scott and a woman in the parking lot of a convenience store on Wyandotte Street East around 3:30 a.m. After a brief conversation, Harun entered the rear passenger side of Scott's vehicle at 3:41 a.m. Scott then drove westbound on Wyandotte Street East, with the woman in the front passenger seat while the other man remained at the store.
As the car turned north onto Dougall Avenue and approached the intersection of University Avenue West, Harun discharged a gun through the back of the driver's seat. The bullet struck Scott in the upper left buttock while he was driving. The car swerved and collided head-on with a parked taxi in the 200 block of Dougall Avenue.
Second Shot and Escape
Immediately following the collision, Harun intentionally fired a second shot that hit Scott in the face on his right cheek. Harun then jumped out of the vehicle and sprinted southbound on Dougall Avenue. He discarded the handgun and a burgundy sweater in a recycling bin behind 455 Pelissier Street. He later took a cab back to the convenience store, where he had a rental car, and left the parking lot at 4:17 a.m.
Scott died from his bullet wounds less than an hour after the incident. Harun was arrested on November 19, 2021, in London, Ontario, after police tracked his phone to a hotel. He had attempted to change his appearance by cutting his hair. The Ontario Provincial Police transported him back to Windsor, where he has remained in custody since.
Guilty Plea and Consequences
Harun was initially set to stand trial for second-degree murder, a proceeding expected to last three weeks. However, in a sudden reversal as potential jurors filed into the downtown courthouse, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. By confessing, Harun agreed that he was reckless as to the safety or life of the persons inside the vehicle.
The case highlights the gravity of gun violence and its devastating consequences. Harun's guilty plea brings a measure of closure to the victim's family, though the sentencing phase will determine the full legal repercussions for his actions.
