'By mistake they shot me': Coquitlam, B.C., man who survived shooting hoping for justice
A Metro Vancouver man says it’s a miracle he’s alive after becoming the innocent victim of a shooting earlier this year.
Speaking through a translator on Tuesday, Nader Ahmadirad said he was working a second job at a food delivery company in January when he was shot multiple times outside a local home.
“I still have three bullets in my body,” he said. “I feel like a miracle saved my life.”
The 55-year-old Coquitlam resident said he made a delivery around 1 a.m. on Jan. 10 to a home on Kingston Street. He had returned to his car and was finalizing the delivery on his phone, when he saw four people approach.
Initially, Ahmadirad said he didn’t even realize he had been shot.
“I noticed some part of my body was numb, and I saw blood running, and my clothes were torn apart,” he said.
He says he was struck at least seven times, including in the face.
“One of the four guys, he came closer to the window of my vehicle, and shot one bullet,” he said. “I think his intention was probably to shoot my head, but I turned my head slightly.”
Ahmadirad shared a photo of his black Mazda, which was riddled with bullet holes. He was taken to Royal Columbian Hospital, and discharged after two days, but then had to return to be treated for an infection.
Ten months later, there have been no arrests.
“I only heard from police that by mistake they shot me. They were after someone else. I feel frustrated that the case has gone nowhere, and I want my voice to be heard,” he said.
Ahmadirad wants the shooters to be held accountable, and anyone with information to come forward.
“Psychologically, emotionally, it’s haunted me so far,” he said, and added he is still recovering physically as well, and doing physiotherapy. “This trauma can stay with me forever.”
CTV News Vancouver requested to speak to the Coquitlam RCMP about this case. The detachment responded via email, calling it a complex investigation.
It added investigators are still working on gathering evidence and speaking to witnesses, and there are no further updates at this time. Mounties also could not confirm if the shooting was gang-related.
Ahmadirad, who came to Canada from Iran in 2018, said not being able to work has been a struggle.
“Financially, I’ve been really suffering,” he said. “It’s been a very difficult period for me.”
Now, he’s just hoping to see those responsible for the violent act, which he was lucky enough to survive, brought to justice.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.