A friend asked his way, then two strangers shot them in Spadina Avenue, the public prosecutor said at the opening of the trial

A Toronto jury began hearing testimony in the case of two men accused of spraying Spadina Ave. with shots after a stranger asked for instructions for an after-hours party at the Kensington Market.

Jahmal Richardson and Kyle Sparks MacKinnon are accused of killing two men, nearly killing one man and wounding two others. They pleaded not guilty to two counts of second degree murder, attempted murder with a firearm and two aggravated badaults.

At the downtown courthouse, not far from the carnage, prosecutors Kerry Hughes and Susan Adams opened their case Wednesday by informing a jury of the Superior Court of the evidence they are supposed to hear and those they will not understand.

While several witnesses who have watched and heard the events unfolding at the beginning of January 31, 2016 will testify, none will be able to designate the accused and identify himself as the person he / she recognizes as one of the shooters, said Hughes to the jury during his opening remarks.

The prosecution case will be based on various circumstantial evidence that, taken together, will be "just as compelling as direct evidence" and will include video footage of the storefronts, the identity card of a dying victim, photographs of 'a firearm found on the scene and the testimony of a survivor who was shot in the head,' said Hughes.

She exposed the theory of the Crown:

Stewart Douglas and his friends Quinn Taylor and David Eminess were looking for a party after hours at Kensington Market. Douglas asked a man to go outside the New Ho King restaurant, west of Spadina. blocks south of College Street

"Douglas asked once, then went away to light a cigarette. He then returned and approached a man dressed in a black sleeveless vest covered with fur at armholes, "said Hughes. "When he asked this man where the party was after normal working hours, instead of answering his question, he was shot in the head."

Douglas, shot at close range, will testify that although they are complete strangers, he can describe the man who fired at him, said the Crown Attorney.

The Attorney General alleges at least one other man, Sparks MacKinnon, unsheathed a pistol and opened fire in the street, sending people to the shelter. At least 16 shots were fired on at least two firearms, Hughes said.

Eminess died after being shot in the back on the head.

Taylor was hit by several bullets, which asked pbaders-by to "call 911, please, they shoot people," before collapsing in front of a restaurant. Hughes recounted that when he was fatally injured, Taylor had confided to a police officer that the man who had shot him was heterobadual and was wearing a red sweater and a thick gold chain. Two other men from the area were also shot, one at the calf, the other at the elbow, she said.

Before the shooting, Richardson had been filmed by a surveillance video while he was riding Spadina with five other men dressed in unmarked clothes, Hughes said. Sparks MacKinnon joined them a few minutes later, she said.

Both accused wore distinctive clothes that night, Hughes said. Richardson wore a black fur vest and a large fur-lined hood. Tattoos could be seen along the arms, she said, adding that he had a thick chain around his neck with a large circle with a letter B and side wings.

Sparks MacKinnon was wearing a long-sleeved sweater, described by witnesses as being red, red with a pattern or purple, she said, adding that he was also wearing a gold necklace with a large round medallion.

A witness should testify that when he saw people fleeing the area, he noted that five men were walking north.

"One man was being patted back by another while they were walking. The group members smiled and the man we tapped on the back walked proudly, "said Hughes, summarizing the witness's observations.

He will describe this man as someone wearing a coat with a hood lined with golden fur, she said.

The trial resumes Thursday.

Betsy Powell is a Toronto-based journalist covering crime and the courts. Follow her on Twitter: @powellbetsy

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