'Get him home so he can live': Metro Vancouver family trying to bring home father shot in Paraguay
Shemick Matusiak says he hasn’t been able to sleep or work for a week, ever since his father was shot in the leg in Paraguay.
Shemick's father, Richard, 66, was a self-employed painter and had recently retired. Dealing with arthritis, he had chosen to spend six months of the year in a warm climate and six months of the year in Canada with his children and grandchildren.
On Nov. 5, Richard was shot in the vacation home he’d built himself.
“Two guys arrived on a motorcycle on his property with a shotgun, words were exchanged, they got in some kind of struggle and they shot him,” Shemick said.
“He called me while he was being rushed to hospital. He was extremely weak and he just told me, ‘They tried to kill me’. That's basically the last I heard of him.”
The family has been told that the bullet hit a main artery in Richard's leg and the hospital doesn’t have enough blood for his treatment. He’s already been through two rounds of surgery and his family desperately want to bring him back to Canada to receive medical care.
The family has contacted Global Affairs Canada but they say they haven’t received much information in response, and they haven’t heard any news since Thursday.
Even if family members did travel to South America they would still need government assistance in bringing Matusiak home because of his condition.
“To know that you’re begging your country to help get him home safe, at least to Canadian soil so that he can get what he needs (but) not hearing back, not even knowing for four days if he’s still alive, if he’s OK,” said Kristina Ponder, Richard's daughter-in-law.
Global Affairs Canada issued a statement to CTV News saying the department “is aware of a Canadian citizen in need of assistance in Paraguay. Consular officials are in contact with local authorities to obtain more information and are in contact with the family to provide consular assistance.”
The department said no further information could be disclosed due to privacy considerations.
The family has also been in contact with the office of their local MP, Sukh Dhaliwal. On Sunday, Dhaliwal told CTV News that his office will be following up again with Global Affairs on Monday morning.
“I will be in Ottawa tomorrow and I will ensure that I have a word with the Minster personally as well,” Dhaliwal said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.