Refugee who 'embraced' Canada fatally shot by stranger, judge hears as killer pleads guilty

Meghan Grant · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 22, 2025 8:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

A Calgary antheral who changeable into a crowded bar, sidesplitting a new-to-Canada exile pleaded blameworthy to manslaughter connected Tuesday and was handed an eight-year situation sentence.

Originally charged with second-degree murder, Yosief Daniel Hagos, 25, pleaded blameworthy to the lesser offence aft negotiations betwixt authoritative Melissa Bond and defence lawyer Shamsher Kothari.

Samuel Welday Haile, 24, was fatally changeable successful the aboriginal greeting hours of Dec. 25, 2022, astatine Bella's Bar successful the city's southeast. 

Haile survived 7 years successful an Ethiopian exile camp before his aunt — who spent tens of thousands of dollars and years warring — was capable to bring her nephew to Canada successful precocious 2021.

'He embraced each opportunity'

In a unfortunate interaction statement, Haile's aunt described him arsenic a antheral who "did not instrumentality his caller beingness successful Canada for granted."

"He embraced each accidental Canada had to offer," she wrote.

• Police proceed probe of fatal Christmas Day shooting successful southeast Calgary

In the 13-months helium lived successful Calgary, Haile worked 3 jobs, learned to drive, volunteered successful his assemblage and played the kirar, a accepted instrument.

He besides supported chap refugees emotionally and financially. Haile's aunt told the tribunal that helium had been secretly sharing the wealth that had been sent to him erstwhile helium was astatine a exile camp with different refugees.

"He was not conscionable a young antheral trying to physique a amended beingness for himself, helium was a root of anticipation and kindness to everyone astir him," wrote the aunt. 

Killer was under house arrest 

On Tuesday, dozens of the victim's friends, household and assemblage members packed into 2 courtrooms to witnesser Hagos's plea. 

Court of King's Bench Justice David Labrenz accepted a associated proposal from Bond and Kothari for an eight-year situation sentence. 

An agreed connection of facts detailing the transgression was work into the grounds by Bond, the prosecutor. 

Court heard that Hagos was connected bail astatine the clip of the shooting and was nether 24-hour location arrest. He was required to deterioration a GPS ankle monitoring instrumentality and was banned from possessing firearms. 

Instead, helium showed up with a loaded weapon to a backstage enactment astatine Bella's Restaurant and Bar successful Forest Lawn. 

Gun pulled successful bathroom

Hagos wasn't invited but his friends fto him successful astir 3:45 a.m. Shortly aft arriving, Hagos went to the washroom. There were 3 different men inside. 

According to the agreed connection of facts, Hagos pointed a weapon astatine the caput of 1 of the men successful the bath and told him to leave.

The antheral near the bath and his friends flagged the barroom proprietor that idiosyncratic had a weapon astatine the party. 

After Hagos near the washroom, helium continued drinking and socializing with friends.

Around 4 a.m., Semhar Haileslase, the barroom owner, asked Hagos if helium had a gun. He denied it.

Single shot 

Hagos was allowed to enactment astatine the barroom and socialize. 

About 25 minutes later, a combat broke retired successful the bar. Both Hagos and Haile walked toward the conflict, which progressive pushing and shoving, according to the agreed connection of facts. 

The proprietor held the beforehand doorway open, trying to get radical to leave. Hagos exited done the beforehand doorway but turned astir and fired a azygous changeable from the doorway into the barroom wherever astir 30 radical had gathered. 

Haile was struck by a slug that tore done his torso and a partition astatine the backmost of the bar, landing successful an adjoining business. 

'Samuel fought truthful hard to flight violence'

The unfortunate ran to the kitchen, wherever helium was recovered connected the level by friends a fewer minutes later. They loaded him into their car and drove him to hospital. He was dormant by 7 a.m. 

"Samuel fought truthful hard to flight violence, displacement and instability successful Africa lone to beryllium killed successful a nationalist recreational space," wrote his aunt. "This is not an isolated incident. Multiple Eritrean immigrants person been killed successful akin circumstances, highlighting a disturbing signifier of unit that continues unchecked."

The unfortunate and slayer did not cognize each different and had nary enactment astatine Bella's that night.

'What person I done?'

After the shooting, Hagos fled the scene. 

Once helium arrived home, Hagos called Haileslase, the barroom owner, 16 times, including the archetypal telephone that lasted conscionable implicit 7 minutes.

"In the archetypal telephone telephone to Semhar … the accused sounded acrophobic and successful shock," reads the agreed connection of facts.

"He asked Semhar, 'what person I done?'"

Semhar told Hagos he'd killed someone. 

Hagos past told Semhar to erase the camera footage from the bar's information camera system. 

Hagos a refugee, too

Later that day, Hagos was driven to a Red Deer flat building, wherever helium chopped disconnected his ankle monitor, and fled to Saskatchewan. 

Six months aft a Canada-wide warrant was issued for his arrest, Hagos turned himself successful to Calgary constabulary connected June 26, 2023. 

Hagos besides came to Canada arsenic a refugee. He arrived successful 2014 aft spending years successful a Sudanese camp, according to Kothari, the defence lawyer. 

Kothari called the shooting a "poor decision" and said his lawsuit has an "extreme magnitude of remorse."

In handing down the sentence, Justice Labrenz called Hagos's transgression "reprehensible."

'Complete stupidity'

He besides pointed retired that some the unfortunate and slayer came to Canada arsenic refugees "in anticipation of a amended life.

"[And] successful a anticipation of idiosyncratic security, and to find that that information did not beryllium successful this state due to the fact that contempt Canadian laws that would prohibit this weapon from being wherever it was … laws don't ever halt transgression conduct," said Labrenz.

He past addressed Hagos directly.

"You caused yourself harm, you caused nine harm and you caused idiosyncratic to wage the eventual terms for an enactment of stupidity," said the judge. 

"Complete stupidity."