‘I didn’t intend to do that’: Tearful testimony by Windsor man accused of murder

The accused in an ongoing Windsor murder trial was brought to tears in a courtroom Thursday during questioning. CTV Windsor’s Michelle Maluske has the details.

WARNING: This article contains details some readers may find disturbing. Readers discretion is advised.

Malique Calloo, 30, returned to the witness stand Thursday as the prosecution grilled him about what happened on Nov. 28, 2022, when Daniel Squalls, 24, was shot to death.

After nearly a day on the stand, Assistant Crown Attorney Craig Houle concluded his cross-examination as follows:

“You shot him! You discharged your firearm 15 times when this man was backing away from you,” Houle said to Calloo.

“I didn’t intend to do that. I lost my mind,” Calloo replied in tears.

“Sir, you intended when you went there with that firearm that you were going to deal with Mr. Squalls one way or the other,” Houle said.

“No. No, I wasn’t…” Calloo said.

“And you did it, Sir,” Houle responded.

During his testimony, Calloo said he was worried he wouldn’t see his child again.

“I lost my mind. I went there for my daughter,” Calloo tearfully tried to explain.

Squalls was shot on Nov. 28, 2022, outside of his Hanna Street apartment, which he shared with his girlfriend and child.

Calloo has a child with the same woman who was also living on Hanna Street at the time.

Hatred not custody

The day of the shooting, Calloo feared his daughter had been moved to the U.S. and he would never see her again.

Calloo told the jury “American border” officials had “no record” of his daughter crossing the border.

“Sir, this was not caused by you finding out [the child] was gone. This was caused by years of hatred and anger that you had with Mr. Squalls. That’s what this was about,” Houle said.

Calloo continued to deny the suggestion.

“When he said they were going to Texas, I lost my mind,” Calloo tearfully tried to explain.

“I did not go there to do that to him.”

Calloo maintains he believed Squalls was armed because he kept “reaching in his sweater”.

“Then why didn’t you leave?” Houle asked.

“Everything was happening so fast,” Calloo replied.

Houle grilled Calloo about two separate visits to the Hanna Street apartment the day of the shooting: One at 3 p.m. he wasn’t armed and his current girlfriend was with him.

The second time, moments before the shooting, Calloo was armed and he had three male friends in his car “as back up”.

Calloo told the jury when the argument with Squalls escalated, he asked his friends to help but none got out of the car.

A plan in place

In his own evidence, Calloo detailed numerous violent interactions with Squalls.

In 2019, Calloo says he saw Squalls in the passenger seat of a car before someone opened fire on his friends.

Two weeks later, Calloo says Squalls threatened him with a gun and then chased him from LaSalle into west Windsor.

“You never were able to identify Mr. Squalls in that car, in that first shooting incident, that’s’ something that you’re making up,” Houle said to Calloo.

Houle doesn’t think Squalls did the drive-by shooting and he doesn’t believe the car chase incident even happened.

“I’m going to suggest to you that those are things that you made up because you need an excuse for what you did on Nov. 28 [2022],” Houle put to Calloo.

“That suggestion isn’t correct,” Calloo replied.

Houle accuses Calloo of having a “plan” that he wanted to carry out the day of the shooting.

Calloo tearfully denied it.

“Mr. Squalls was a human. He’s a son, he’s a brother, he’s a father like I was. I did not intend to do that to Mr. Squalls,” Calloo testified.

The jury has previously learned six bullets were removed from Squalls body during the autopsy and 15 spent shell casings were collected by a forensic identification officer with the Windsor Police.

The trial will continue Friday.