Warning: This story contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
A South Okanagan man is recovering from a brutal assault that took place earlier this month, with police alleging a wine bottle was used in the beating.
Kyle Bourdon of Osoyoos was assaulted on the night of Dec. 14, and video surveillance from a pub shows the 31-year-old staggering into the establishment, heavily bleeding and asking for help.
According to police, the incident involved Bourdon getting hit in the head with a wine bottle. However, a family member added that Bourdon was also stabbed and was robbed of his jacket, along with $300 in cash, a gold necklace and a cellphone.
The family member said Bourdon, 31, was in hospital for six days and required 30 staples to his head, and that he was lucky he wasn’t killed.
Immediately following the assault, Bourdon, shirtless and with blood covering his upper body, stumbled into a pub, asking for help.
Police and paramedics arrived four minutes later.
Bourdon is from Kingston, Ont., and was living with his uncle before recently finding a place of his own.
In a press release issued on Dec. 24, Osoyoos RCMP said Bourdon had been socializing at a pub with three other men and a women, but left that establishment alone.
Shortly after leaving, he was assaulted, with one suspect being identified as a 22-year-old man from Peachland.
“We are confident this was an isolated incident between the parties and there is no threat to the public,” RCMP Sgt Jason Bayda said in that press release.
“Our officers have made good progress on this investigation and I expect the arrest of the one man will be imminent. However, we are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the second involved man.”
In an interview with Global News, Sage Pub owner Allan Redekopp said Bourdon had been in the pub earlier that night.
“When Kyle stumbled back to the pub, a lady screamed from the pool tables when they saw him through the glass,” said Redekopp.
“He was not wearing a shirt … visibly injured, blood covering everything. It looked like he was wearing a mask, to be honest, when he walked through the front door.”
Redekopp said once they realized what had happened, staff applied pressure to his wounds while also calling for help.
“I’ve never seen more blood in my lifetime,” said Redekopp, adding he was proud of his staff’s actions. “I’ve seen a lot of fights, I’ve seen car accidents, I’ve seen a lot of things. I’ve never seen anything worse than what happened.
“Nobody ever deserves what happened to that young man, in any way shape or form.”
Redekopp added “in all honesty, had he not made it here … he was stripped of clothing, he was stumbling, it was a very cold night out and he certainly lost a lot of blood.
“Thank god he made it here, because who knows where we’d be having this conversation right now.”