Mother of David Arslanian begged for his life moments after brother Haig Arslanian fatally shot him
In a triple-0 call played to the court for the first time, the mother of Whittington man David Arslanian begged for him to “wake up” after he was fatally shot by his brother Haig Arslanian.
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A Whittington mother begged her son to wake up and desperately pleaded for help minutes after he was fatally shot by his brother.
In a triple-0 call played to the judge-alone Victorian Supreme Court trial on Friday, Sevan Arslanian told the operator her youngest son, David Arslanian, “won’t wake up” and to “please get someone here”.
“Hurry up please, he’s going to die,” Sevan Arslanian said.
Haig Arslanian, 41, has admitted to shooting his 31-year-old brother on October 5, 2020 - but pleaded not guilty to the charge of manslaughter.
His lawyer, Jason Gullaci, told the court on Thursday during his opening submissions that the accused shot his brother “in lawful and justified self-defence” after the two had a heated argument.
In the time it took for his mother to place the call and for help to arrive, Haig Arslanian hid the gun under a tarp in the garage and placed three shotgun shells – two unspent – on the dining room table before fleeing the Boundary Rd family home on foot.
A neighbour watched him walk away from the house, just five minutes after he said he heard the clear sounds of two gunshots.
“Dave, David … he’s not breathing,” Sevan Arslanian told a triple-0 during the 13 minutes it took for emergency services to arrive.
“Wake up David, please wake up. I love you, David. David, wake up … is anyone coming?”
It is in dispute where in the house Haig Arslanian shot his brother, but Sevan and David Arslanian were found in the front room.
In opening submissions on Thursday, crown prosecutor John Dickie told Justice Rita Incerti that Haig Arslanian called another brother, Kevin Arslanian, and a friend, Rachel Manson, after fleeing.
He told his friend David Arslanian had smashed his head into a mirror and he “lost his s--t”.
Haig Arslanian went into his bedroom and retrieved a gun he and his mother had brought for his father, John Arslanian.
“He lost his s--t in circumstances where he had access to a firearm,” Mr Dickie said on Thursday.
Mr Gullaci said Haig Arslanian later told police he was “scared of being hurt by his brother” and only wanted to scare him with the gun.
The trial will return early next week after Justice Incerti and the legal team have viewed the Boundary Rd home.
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Originally published as Mother of David Arslanian begged for his life moments after brother Haig Arslanian fatally shot him
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