The family of a 21-year-old man shot in the face in a suspected case of road-rage in east London nearly three months ago is urging those with information to come forward.
The appeal to the public came Thursday, the same day London police announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the unsolved crime -- now deemed attempted murder.
The victim had left work and was driving in the area of Royal Crescent and Wexford Avenue around 4 p.m. on May 11, when he encountered a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze being driven aggressively. The man gestured to the driver of the Cruze before continuing on his way. While stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of Admiral Drive and Trafalgar Street shortly after, the Cruze driver pulled up alongside him and shot him. The Cruze then sped away, heading west on Trafalgar Street and then south on Marconi Boulevard.
"There are no words to express how terrifying it was to learn that our son had been shot in the face and there are no words to describe the compulsion we felt as parents to get to the hospital as fast as possible with panicked thoughts by what we might see," the gunshot victim's family said in a statement.
The bullet shattered the passenger side window of the Cruze, passed through the open window of the man's vehicle before hitting him in the left side of the face. It went through his cheek, shattering his teeth and fracturing two of his vertebrae before exiting the right side of his neck, police said.
The man's family called the incident a senseless, violent act.
"Our son is a caring, compassionate, and hardworking individual who was enjoying life and working hard at advancing his career. He is now enduring pain on a daily basis... All of our lives have been turned upside down in the blink of an eye because of this horrifying event," the family stated. "This incident could have happened to any of us. We are asking for your help. Somebody must know something. Please come forward."
Police found the Cruze four days after the shooting and have spoken with the owner, but are still trying to determine who was driving it at the time of the shooting. They noted the Cruze had not been stolen and road-rage was the likely motive behind the crime.
"We know from what [the victim] was able to tell us and also from citizens who came forward that this vehicle was seen prior to the shooting being driven in an erratic manner in the neighbourhood and that this young man simply encountered this vehicle on the street as he was minding his own business," said Detective Sergeant Alex Krygsman.
The only description police have of the driver at this point is that he was in his 20s with a slim to average build.
Krygsman is optimistic the cash reward being offered until December 31 will entice those with knowledge of the shooting to come forward.
"Investigators have a very clear sense of what occurred that day. Investigators also know that there are persons in this community who know who was driving the Cruze at the time of the shooting and who fired the shot that struck and injured this young man. Until now those persons have not come forward for one reason or another."
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Krygsman of the police major crime section at 519-661-5674 or email him at AKrygsman@londonpolice.ca.
