A man who has been charged with manslaughter in the death of an off-duty Abbotsford police officer in Nelson has a prior conviction for assaulting a peace officer.
The Nelson Police Department announced on Sunday (March 7) that Alex Willness, 26, of Castlegar had been charged in connection to the death of Const. Allan Young, 55, last July in Nelson.
Young was seriously injured on July 16 after he allegedly approached a man causing a disturbance in downtown Nelson. Young died July 21.
Willness is scheduled to make an appearance in Nelson provincial court on March 9.
According to the provincial court database, Willness was previously sentenced to 14 days in jail and 18 months’ probation for a February 2013 assault of a peace officer, as well as for a charge of mischief and two charges of breaching his court-ordered conditions.
Court records show that Willness also has a 2013 conviction for impaired driving causing bodily harm – for which he was handed a two-year driving ban and 30 days in jail – and a 2019 conviction for mischief, for which he was given 12 months’ probation.
Willness also still has a mischief charge before the courts from a May 2020 incident in Castlegar.
Young had been a member of the Abbotsford Police Department since 2004, after having previously served in the Toronto Police Service.
He had immigrated to Abbotsford in 1997 from Scotland, where he had previously served in the British Royal Navy as a Marine Engineering Mechanic. In Abbotsford, Young spent time in patrol and the force’s drug enforcement unit.
Related:
• Abbotsford officer remembered for sense of humour after dying in off-duty Nelson assault
• Nelson residents leave a light on for deceased Abbotsford officer
