‘Everything started going good for him — then this happened’ Man, 57, had turned life around when he was viciously attacked by strangers on Main Street By: Erik Pindera Posted: 7:00 PM CST Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023

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This article was published 14/02/2023 (935 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The daughter of the victim of a recent brutal mugging on Main Street says her father has forgiven his attackers, but she hasn’t.

“I don’t really feel forgiving,” Alexandria told the Free Press.

Dennis, 57, had finished his janitorial job for the day and was returning to the Main Street-area treatment centre where he lives just before 11 p.m. on Feb. 3, his 20-year-old daughter said.

She didn’t want their surnames used out of concern for their safety.

Her dad was confronted by a group of people after he got off the bus near the Bell Hotel on Main Street at Henry Avenue, Alexandria said.

“He had seen those guys up ahead, and he had that feeling of ‘Oh no, something’s going to happen.’ But he kept walking,” she said.

“They started calling him over… They started asking him for his stuff and they sliced him in the knee so he couldn’t get up.”

He told the attackers he would give them everything he had, and handed it over, but the attack near the rear of the hotel didn’t stop, Alexandria said.

“He had seen those guys up ahead, and he had that feeling of ‘Oh no, something’s going to happen.’ But he kept walking.”–Alexandria

A police source has described the incident as a “horrific” and “prolonged” assault. None of the items they stole was valuable.

Responding officers found Dennis lying on the ground in severe pain.

“He had his organs hanging out of his body when the cops showed up,” said Alexandria.

He had been stabbed multiple times in the abdomen, exposing his intestines, and his arms and legs were cut. One of the wounds required 47 stitches, while another needed nearly 40 sutures, Alexandria said.

“I don’t know how else to describe it; fierce, predatory,” the police source had said about the mugging.

Alexandria said her father told her that as he was being stabbed repeatedly, he decided to forgive his attackers.

“What he told me is he had forgiven them the moment that it happened, because he didn’t want to go out angry – he thought he was going to die.”

Officers administered first aid before paramedics arrived. Police spotted three suspects walking a short distance south of the crime scene on the 500 block of Main Street.

Three 20-year-old men were arrested and officers seized a knife and some of the victim’s property.

The men have been charged with aggravated assault and robbery. One was also charged with failing to comply with the condition of a release order.

Police haven’t released the names of the accused.

One day before the assault on Dennis, the man accused of failing to comply with the release order had pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing bodily harm, court records show.

“I’m kind of mad because of the charges that they got… I think they should have gotten attempted murder, assault with a weapon… not just aggravated assault,” said Alexandria.

“What he told me is he had forgiven them the moment that it happened, because he didn’t want to go out angry – he thought he was going to die.”–Alexandria

She said the attack has made her angry and sad about the justice system. She would like to see more programs for young people facing hardships so they reject a life of crime.

Her dad, who had struggled with addiction before entering the treatment centre in the summer of 2021, recently began working for the centre at another location as a janitor, Alexandria said.

“He had just started a new job, which is why he was coming back late that night,” she said, noting he had worked at the centre’s drop-in.

“He almost had his full benefits. In March, he would’ve got his (employment) benefits.”

“I’m kind of mad because of the charges that they got… I think they should have gotten attempted murder, assault with a weapon… not just aggravated assault.”–Alexandria

She described her father as a nice, chatty man with many friends and acquaintances, who had recently turned to the Bible for help with his recovery from addiction.

“Everything started going good for him, then this happened,” she said.

“That still hasn’t changed his (view) of things. That’s the kind of guy he is.”

It’s expected he will be required to use a walker for the rest of his life once he gets out of the hospital.

While he won’t be able to work as a janitor, he wants to continue to work for the centre when possible, his daughter said.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera