Dhairyaraj Puwar came to Canada in 2021 to study engineering as an international student from India and was enjoying life in Toronto until the early morning hours of Dec. 13.
That’s when the 21-year-old, who had spent the evening deejaying at Bass Line Music Bar on Bloor Street, decided to take a walk to get some fresh air before he planned to take a bus home on College Street at Ossington Avenue.
As he approached the intersection of the bus stop around 3:45 a.m., Puwar told Global News, he saw a group of teenaged girls stopping cars, asking for two dollars. He said the girls then approached he and his friend, who were now standing at the bus stop, and asked for money.
When they declined, he said the girls became rude. “I was like, ‘Shut up, don’t want to listen to you, get lost’,” Puwar recalled. That’s when he believes they called for backup and two men showed up.
“They just rushed across the street and the guy in the front had a knife. And we were like, ‘Come on, we don’t want to fight’. And they were like, ‘No, how can you say that to us?’ and we were like, ‘Get lost’, and they got more offended and they wanted to start a fight.
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Puwar recalled one man attempting to stab his friend, but because his friend was wearing a thick coat, the suspect was unsuccessful. Puwar said he pushed and then kicked the knife-wielding man, before he heard six or seven shots. He said he didn’t feel anything and ran away.
He then realized he was bleeding from the arm and asked his friend to call 911. “I couldn’t feel my fingers. I didn’t know about the knee at the time. After a minute, I couldn’t walk and I could not put pressure on my leg as well,” Puwar said.
He was rushed to hospital where he underwent surgeries to have plates put in his arm and leg and also learned a bullet had grazed his back. Puwar spent eight days in hospital and underwent two operations. “The doctor said, ‘It’s just lucky it didn’t hit you anywhere else, in your chest or spine.'”
Puwar says his concern now is paying for his hospital bill, which is more than $50,000. He did not have medical insurance because he took the fall semester off to return to India in September to visit a sick relative and did not apply for private insurance.
The Toronto-area college he attends, which Puwar does not want to disclose as the suspects remain at large, has medical insurance included in tuition for international students. “I was on break and I was supposed to start this January.”
Toronto police spokesperson Const. Laurie McCann tells Global News the investigation into the shooting remains very active and they are looking for multiple suspects.
Puwar said he wishes, in hindsight, he had taken the subway on Bloor Street but had been deejaying all night and felt like a walk. He believes the suspects might have been trying to impress the girls.
“They were teenagers, roaming around, 3 a.m., carrying a knife and a gun, and it’s a Tuesday night, not even a weekend. Where are their parents?” Puwar asked.
He is now focused on recovering, paying his medical bills and has started a GoFundMe campaign in hopes that the public will help him out. He has also returned to college and, due to his injuries, accommodations have been made so he can attend virtually.
“I was being harassed and I don’t know what my fault is. I was just there at the wrong time and my future, my possibility of getting job anywhere is going to be reduced because I’m now disabled,” Puwar said.
Anyone who has information on the suspects, or who can help police with the investigation is asked to call 416-808-1400 or Crime Stoppers.
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