'LIVE IN CONSTANT FEAR': Crossbow victim speaks out as ex-partner arrested
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To this day, even the sound of a doorbell takes her back to that traumatic day.
The woman who survived a 2018 attempt on her life — allegedly by a hitman hired by her former common-law partner — spoke out on Tuesday, describing her ordeal as one that keeps her living in constant fear.
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“Although I survived the attack, I would never be the same again,” she said in a videotaped statement released by Peel Regional Police.
“To say that this has taken a toll on me physically and emotionally is an understatement.”
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The woman opened the door to her Bayberry Dr. home around 8 p.m. on Nov. 7, 2018. home to a man who claimed to have a delivery for her.
After a brief conversation, said Peel Regional Police Det. Sgt. James Kettles at a Tuesday morning press conference, the man shot the woman in the chest with a crossbow concealed in a large box he was carrying.
The bolt went through the woman’s body and lodged itself into a wall behind her, and the assailant took off in a dark-coloured pick-up truck.
Despite her injury, she managed to call 911 and, after hours of surgery, medical staff saved her life.
Last week, police arrested her former common-law partner — 50-year-old Roger Jaggernauth — and charged him with attempted murder, criminal harassment and counselling an indictable offence.
The victim said she had just ended a “toxic” five-year relationship with Jaggernauth when the attack took place.
Investigators are offering a $25,000 reward as they search for the man allegedly hired to kill the woman.
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While the victim fought hard to recover from her life-altering injuries, she still has a long road of healing ahead — physical and otherwise.
“Not only do I live in constant pain, but I live in constant fear — fear for my safety, and the safety to those around me,” the victim said.
“I even experience anxiety from the sound of a doorbell.”
Not only is she asking anyone with information to contact investigators, she issued a plea for anyone involved in an abusive relationship to get help.
“If you are a victim of domestic violence — or know of someone who is — take that first step and call police,” she said.
“Don’t let what happened to me, happen to anyone else.”
Domestic violence has reached crisis levels in Peel Region, and is a top priority for the service, said Deputy Chief Marc Andrews.
“This year, to date, out of a total of nine homicides, three have been intimate partner related,” Andrews said.
Last year, 13 out of the region’s 31 homicides were domestic in nature — six were family related, and seven were intimate partners.
Last month, Darian Hailey Henderson-Bellman, 25, was shot to death at a home in Brampton. Her ex-boyfriend, 27-year-old Darnell Reid — himself rushed to hospital with critical gunshot wounds — is charged with second-degree murder, and was under a court-ordered restraining order at the time of her death.
Police have established a tip line, and anybody with information is asked to call 905-456-5840 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
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