Warning: This story contains details that readers may find disturbing.
A Saskatoon woman who recorded a fatal altercation at a downtown nightclub is still not sure why she started looking at the woman who is now charged with manslaughter.
“I don’t even know what caught my eye,” said the witness, who recorded the fight on her phone. The CBC is not naming her because it fears for her safety due to the response online from individuals who recorded that night.
“She casually left her purse on the bar counter and then came back … I think they must have known they were going to start a fight because there was already a free line when she went to the bar.”
Paige Theriault-Fisher, 22, is charged with manslaughter in the Nov. 5 death of Hodan Hashi, 23, at LIT nightclub. Theriault-Fisher was initially charged with second-degree murder, but police dropped the charge hours after her arrest.
LIT Nightclub is above Crazy Cactus Bar on Third Avenue South. Both establishments are owned by the same company. The owners declined interview requests.
People were at the club early Saturday morning for an after-party for a DJ who had played at another downtown club on Friday night.
Security at LIT that night was typically tight, said the woman who recorded the incident and a second witness, a man who was in the club at the time of the fight. The CBC is also not naming the man because it is concerned for his safety due to racist comments on social media.
Both say people coming into the club tonight had to go through three levels of security. There was a tap from security at the door, a metal detector they had to go through, and then a hand-search with a wand. All bags and purses were also checked at the door.
Paige Theriault-Fisher is charged with involuntary manslaughter. (Paige Theriault-Fisher/Facebook)
The woman who recorded the incident did not know Theriault-Fisher or Hashi. She said Theriault-Fisher and Hashi started fighting in a booth and “it wasn’t long before they were on the floor.”
“Everything happened extremely quickly.
At least three videos showing different angles of the altercation have gone viral on social media. The footage was provided to the CBC.
They show two women standing and fighting as bystanders watch. One woman grabs the other by the head and then they go to the floor together. A man over a PA system can be heard saying, “We’re having a f—-ing fight on the dance floor.”
The two women wrestle for a moment and one punches the other repeatedly in the face and neck. It is unclear if she is holding an object as she strikes.
Then a massive pool of blood appears beneath the woman at the bottom.
The two are separated and both stand. The wounded woman wipes the blood from her neck, takes a few steps, and then collapses.
Hodan Hashi’s family has started a Go Fund Me page to raise money for her funeral expenses. (Hodan Hashi/Facebook)
The woman who recorded it said it was clear from her perspective that Hashi was injured when she fell on a broken glass on the floor.
“You see the cup slip by one point [in the videos],” she said.
“Either the glass was in the booth and when they fell it ended up on the floor, or the glass was already on the floor.
Both witnesses said security at the venue responded to the fight as soon as the DJ announced it over the public address system.
“The bouncers were there right away because everyone knows you’re not allowed to fight in this club,” the woman said.
Someone pulled a fire alarm immediately after the fight “and the bar started emptying, people were running,” she said.
Theriault-Fisher is in custody and is due back in provincial court on Thursday.
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