Colton Ferguson testified in court Monday morning that he had no intention of killing Heather Rae Thurier.
The 21-year-old took the stand in his own defense at his first-degree murder trial to explain his version of events from the night 23-year-old Thurier was killed.
Ferguson admitted that the he was the person shown in the LRT surveillance video pointing a .22 caliber rifle at the victim and her friends.
Drinking spiced rum and beer earlier in the evening, Ferguson said he was on his way home from a party when he was confronted by a group at the Stadium LRT Station.
The defense said the accused had a rifle in his backpack because he had been receiving threats over Facebook, going on to say Ferguson took out the rifle only to scare them.
Ferguson claimed that Thurier and her friends confronted him and called him names.
He testified that right before the rifle went off, "she came at me, and I remember trying to just pull back, I'm pretty sure she grabbed it."
Thurier died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
During cross-examination crown prosecutor Richard Tchir questioned how drunk Ferguson was at the time of the shooting, and asked him if he was frustrated by the lack of fear in the unarmed women.
"You're the big man with the gun and the knife, and you couldn't even scare and intimidate her," Tchir said, suggesting that Thurier's lack of a response to was angering to Ferguson.
The trial will continue Tuesday with Ferguson back on the stand.
With files from David Ewasuk
