The family of a man stabbed during a morning walk in Kelowna, B.C., says the attack was random, frightening and completely unprovoked.
Tejinder Singh , who is visiting family from India, was walking north along Highway 97 Year Highway 33 last week when the violent incident occurred.
According to his daughter, it all began when a young man walking towards Singh tried speaking to him.
“My dad doesn’t speak English, so he said, ‘Sorry, no English’ and even after my dad said this, he again tried to talk to my dad,” Manvir Sandhu told Global News.
“My dad again said, ‘Sorry, no English,’ and after that the guy walked away and my dad was like, OK, it’s the end of the conversation.”
But moments later Sandhu said her dad felt a sudden and sharp pain in his back.
“He thought he only punched him because the pressure was so much,” Sandhu said. “And then when he touched his back and then he saw the blood.”
The suspect fled on foot.
Singh managed to get the attention of nearby workers who called for help.
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The 57-year-old man spent nearly a week in hospital before being discharged.
The incident has left the family shaken and struggling to understand why it happened.
“It is unacceptable because you can’t just go out in the community or in the public, even for a walk or for anything now, which is scary part for our family,” Sandhu said.
Kelowna RCMP say the investigation into the assault is active and ongoing but so far no arrests have been made.
Police added that they continue collecting and reviewing CCTV video from the area in an attempt to track down the person responsible.
“We’re still looking for answers, we’re still waiting for justice,” Sandhu said.
Police also asking for anyone who may have witnessed the May 12 incident or has dashcam footage from the area between 9 and 9:45 a.m. to contact them.
“It was traumatic for my family and it was something that my dad will never forget,” Sandhu said. “I’ve been living in Canada for the last 10 years and we never felt this unsafe here.”
While RCMP say stranger assaults are not that common, Sandhu is warning others to be careful and to always be aware of their surroundings.
“That person is still out there in the community and he’s not safe for the public,” Sandhu said.
Sandhu expressed gratitude for the people who helped her father at the scene of the attack and everyone who has reached out to offer emotional support.
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