quebec city mosque shooting victims reflect on tragedy as nd anniversary nears

Quebec City mosque shooting victims reflect on tragedy as 2nd anniversary nears

Canada

Almost two years after being hit by seven bullets in Quebec City’s biggest mosque, Aymen Derbali says the nightmares have finally stopped.The 42-year-old was one of more than 50 people attending evening prayers when a shooter opened fire on Jan 29, 2017, killing six people and wounding several others including Derbali. He was left paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair to get around.After a long and painful recovery, Derbali said he’s now in a better place.Story continues below

Last summer, he was able to move out of the rehabilitation centre where he’d lived since the shooting and into a new wheelchair-accessible home that was bought for him after a fundraising campaign raised more than $400,000.READ MORE: Quebec Muslim community welcomes statement by accused shooter’s parentsWhile his own plans are unsure, he said he is grateful for the support he has received, and grateful he’ll be able to watch his three children grow up.“My future is for them now,” he said in a recent interview.The mosque shooting claimed the lives of six men: Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42, Abdelkrim Hassane, 41, Khaled Belkacemi, 60, Aboubaker Thabti, 44, Azzeddine Soufiane, 57, and Ibrahima Barry, 39.Alexandre Bissonnette pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder last March.READ MORE: Inside the mind of a killer: What we now know about Alexandre Bissonnette’s Quebec mosque shooting plotFor Said Akjour, who was shot in the shoulder, recovery has been a slow process.He remembers everything: crouching in an alcove with his “brothers,” watching Derbali get shot, the bullet that pierced his own left shoulder “like an arrow,” and the fear in the eyes of the responding police officers.“There were many bullets, and time was like an eternity, even if it’s only two minutes,” he said.WATCH BELOW: Alexandre Bissonnette’s parents say their son is not a monster