Nick Tanti was banned from a Guelph nightclub Aidan Kee worked at, after he was reportedly involved in a violent altercation almost two months before his death.
However despite the ban, Tanti was spotted in Onyx Nightclub on two separate occasions.
This includes the night of February 29, 2020, less than an hour before he was stabbed in front of a Downtown Guelph pool hall. Samantha Gilbert, who was a manager at Onyx in early 2020, took to the stand at trial of brothers Aidan and Angus Kee Wednesday afternoon in Superior Court.
Surveillance videos were shown from both inside and outside the club, not only from Feb. 29, but the night of January 11.
"There's a bar next to Onyx, called NV Lounge," Gilbert said. "And a fight broke out in front of, or inside of NV, I'm not sure which one."
"They're a smaller venue, and they only have one security that works the door, so when the fight broke out (on Jan. 11 after 2 a.m.), some of our security went over to assist. Then the fight severely escalated, and there were multiple weapons that were brought out.
"Definitely at one point, all of the security in the building was either trying to hold our patrons inside, and the people in the fight outside.
"One of the people involved in that fight, we were able to identify, as Nick Tanti."
Video from a camera above the entrance to Onyx showed the person she later identified as Tanti throwing punches during the altercation.
It also showed someone Gilbert confirmed to be Aidan Kee, who was working for Onyx. He could be seen providing first aid, trying to settle things down and directing Tanti away from the scene.
Gilbert went on to say she did some digging to identify the "seven or eight people" involved in the fight, using both video and social media, and ban them from Onyx moving forward.
"Since we know there was at least two weapons in that fight that happened outside, and there was no way for us to know which one of the individuals brought it with them," she said. "We just felt for the safety of our staff and the other patrons, we would just not allow any of them to return."
Aidan, Gilbert added, was asked to confirm if the person in the video was Tanti, which he did.
But Gilbert also confirmed Aidan was worried of upsetting anyone for identifying people involved, including Tanti, who she said was his friend.
Fast forward to early or mid-February, when Gilbert said Tanti made an appearance at Onyx for the first time since the Jan. 11 incident.
Gilbert told the court Aidan went to her office to tell her Tanti was in the club, but, she added "because they were friends," Aidan "would rather not get involved (in telling Tanti he was banned and needed to leave), so if I could get another security to handle it, he would appreciate it."
Gilbert said Tanti left that night without incident — "from my understanding, everything went pretty smoothly," she said — but returned just after 1 a.m. on Feb. 29.
At that point, she said Aidan had been dismissed from working about an hour before, and stayed to drink with friends and his brother, Angus.
Video showed Tanti, wearing the same hockey jersey brought into the court earlier in the day, walking to the dance floor with a beverage purchased moments before at the bar.
Moments later, Gilbert said Aidan went into her office to inform her of Tanti's presence, and two workers were then assigned to kick Tanti from the property.
Just like the first time, she said Tanti was able to finish his drink before leaving. He left at 1:10 a.m.
Gilbert confirmed when asked by defense lawyer James Milgin, that while Tanti left non-violently, she was informed he made a threat to the worker at the door.
Aidan also came over to his two co-workers and Tanti while all this was happening, and Gilbert said she pulled Aidan into her office to speak to him. He was not allowed to be involved because he wasn't working.
"I believe my exact words to him were that 'you know better,'" she said, noting Aidan apologized in response.
Angus was in the club at the time, she said, but not involved in the situation.
She said Aidan and Angus left Onyx at 1:41 a.m.
Less than 10 minutes later, the two were captured on video less than a block away in front of Tony's Billiards on Macdonell Street, where the fatal incident took place.
Aidan, the older brother, faces a second-degree murder charge, while Angus is accused of unlawful act manslaughter and accessory after the fact manslaughter.
The trial continues Thursday morning.
