Saskatoon woman randomly stabbed in torso while shopping downtown
The victim of a random stabbing in downtown Saskatoon last Thursday is sharing her story about the terrifying attack in broad daylight.
She is one of two women who were stabbed by a random attacker in two separate areas of the downtown core around 5:00 p.m. in the afternoon May 25.
The first incident happened on the sidewalk on 20th street at the southside of Midtown Plaza, where she was going shopping.
That’s where the first victim, Sumika Zaidi, says she remembers someone running from across 20th Street and behind her. She then felt a sharp pain.
“The shock is disturbing my life,” Zaidi told CTV News.
Zaidi is a 25-year-old newlywed who came to Saskatoon from Pakistan. She says she is afraid now and didn’t want her face shown.
“I can’t take this situation out of my mind. It happened so rapidly that I can’t understand what just happened to me in 20 to 25 seconds, it was so quick,” she says.
She realized she had been stabbed and the woman kept running down 20th Street eastward. She recalls the attacker had a smaller knife in her left hand and a larger knife on her also and was very deliberate, not appearing high or intoxicated from what she could tell.
“She was running. I just saw her. I know she was in her senses,” she says.
Zaidi is now recovering from a stab wound just above her hip which required twelve stitches.
She can’t walk much yet and was told by doctors that it will take about two months to recover. But she says it’s the emotional toll that will take the longest to heal.
Being from Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi, it baffles her that this attack happened in Saskatoon.
“We think about foreign countries, and we think that we are safe clean and I just cam here and I come here and get stabbed, it’s so terrifying,” she says.
Police confirmed in a news release that this wasn’t the only attack reported and that another woman, a 35-year-old, was also stabbed a few blocks away near 2nd Avenue on 20th street a short time later.
A 28-year-old woman was located by police in a building at 300 2nd Avenue which is the address of the Lighthouse Assisted Living.
The woman charged in both attacks is facing two counts of assault causing bodily harm, possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence and carrying a concealed weapon as well as breach of probation.
Zaidi has no plans to move back home and realizes this was very random.
“Three and a half months goes smoothly, and I enjoyed the city, but what happened last Thursday is so terrifying for me. I can’t’ go outside without someone,” she says.
Her family calls her every day to check in as they are shocked and devastated by what happened. Her parents are planning to come visit in July.
She wanted to get her story out so that others can be more aware of their surroundings and not have to go through what she did.
She does admit though, that she couldn’t have done anything differently to prevent the senseless random attack.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.