A Calgary jury was told Monday that a drug deal gone wrong resulted in the death of a man and the wounding of his girlfriend, who survived by hiding under a car after being shot.
Fatal Shooting in Forest Lawn
Donald Lyons, 43, was killed on December 18, 2023, in the Forest Lawn area. During the opening address to a Calgary Court of King's Bench jury, Crown prosecutor Peter Mackenzie detailed the incident leading to the fatal shooting.
Paulos Berhe is charged with second-degree murder and discharging a firearm with intent to wound in connection with the incident.
Events of the Night
Mackenzie explained that Lyons and his girlfriend, Amber Beach, were drinking and using crack cocaine at their Forest Lawn home when Lyons decided to go out to meet someone. The pair drove to the Portico Lounge on 35th Street S.E.
Lyons parked his truck in front of the lounge and got out to meet an individual. Beach was unaware that Lyons had been texting a contact to arrange a $9,000 purchase of what was assumed to be crack cocaine or another illicit substance.
Lyons met an individual dressed in light-colored sweats, a hoody, and a dark puffer jacket. The two men returned to Lyons' truck, where Lyons sat in the driver's seat and the unknown individual got into the rear passenger side.
After a short introduction, the individual produced a handgun and shot Beach first in the back, then fired at least two shots at Lyons. One shot passed through Lyons' throat, exiting his neck, killing him.
Survival and Aftermath
Beach opened the passenger door, rolled out, and crawled away, eventually calling 911 after hiding under a parked car. When police arrived, they found Lyons hanging head down in the open driver's side door of his truck.
Mackenzie described the incident as a drug deal gone wrong, where the individual in the hoody armed himself and shot Beach and Lyons over the $9,000 drug transaction. He stated that evidence, including phone records and DNA, would prove that Berhe shot Lyons with the intent necessary for murder and shot Beach with the intent to wound, maim, disfigure, or endanger her life.
The trial is scheduled to last three weeks.
