Halifax bouncer who placed bar patron in chokehold convicted of manslaughter

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press

 A bouncer at a Halifax bar who killed an Ontario man during a scuffle on Christmas Eve 2022 has been convicted by a judge of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death.

Court heard that Alexander Pishori Levy was the head of security at the Halifax Alehouse when there was a minor altercation inside the bar, and he asked 31-year-old Ryan Michael Sawyer and his twin brother to leave.

During a tussle outside the bar, Sawyer was placed in a chokehold by Levy and suffered a heart attack. He was pronounced dead in hospital.

In a written ruling, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice James Chipman said Levy was guilty of manslaughter because he caused Sawyer’s death by unlawfully placing him in the chokehold.

As for the criminal negligence charge, Chipman said the Crown had proven Levy showed reckless disregard for Sawyer’s life when he failed to offer him help after the bar patron went limp.

Court heard Sawyer was living in the Toronto area at the time and was home to visit family for the holidays when he and his brother Kyle went to a number of bars in Halifax that night.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2025.