'I did not ask for this at all': Stabbing victim recounts random attack in Sask. restaurant
Ryan John is still recovering from having a four-inch hunting knife plunged into his head by a stranger while picking up his order at Boston Pizza in Prince Albert on Oct. 14, 2020.
“He stabbed me once in the back right here ... the tip of the blade touched the other side of my head it went so far in.”
John was stabbed twice in the skull. During the attack he says he heard his attacker call him a “snitch.”
“I looked down at myself and I’m just spraying blood.”
A restaurant employee intervened and the attacker fled the scene.
Prince Albert police found the suspect, 19-year-old Trent Fox, moments later near the restaurant.
Fox was charged with attempted murder but pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. He was sentenced to four years in prison on July 8 in Prince Albert Provincial Court.
John says he wondered why the attack happened.
“I did not ask for this at all, he didn’t know me and I didn’t know him,” John said.
I DON’T REALLY FEAR DEATH
Doctors say John lost about 10 bags of blood and was close to death.
John was transported to Victoria Hospital and then airlifted in a STARS helicopter to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.
“And I thought I don’t want my mother to worry and the last thing I would want for her is to wake up and get that call about what happened,” he said.
John suffered an intracranial brain hemorrhage and was put into an induced coma so physicians could treat his injuries.
He was 21-years-old at the time of the attack. His mother, Michelle Hunt, was told by doctors the part of his brain responsible for mobility and sight was severed and he may be blind and never walk again.
Hunt had to make the decision to allow doctors to perform a high-risk surgery to try to repair his brain.
Part of John’s skull was removed and his body could have rejected the reinsertion of part of his skull.
John was in a coma for 13 days but woke up and today is on the road to recovery.
“They couldn’t believe that Ryan was alive and first of all that he could see and that he got up out of the bed and was walking and talking,” said Hunt.
John says he had a near death experience.
“The feeling of death was probably the most peaceful feeling you’ll ever get. I don’t really fear death after what happened.”
Hunt says her son’s life was just beginning and the attack has left him lifelong physical and emotional scars. She’s happy he’s alive to share his story.
“I keep an eye on Ryan closely,” said Hunt. “He has the most positive attitude ever. He’s out an about in Prince Albert again, and if you see him, just say hi to him.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.