A man who was paralyzed from the waist down in the horrific Quebec mosque shooting is about to receive more than $400,000 in donations to help him buy a wheelchair-accessible home.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very heartwarming action,鈥� Aymen Derbali told CTV News Channel on Friday.
On the evening of Jan. 29, 2017, a gunman opened fire at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, killing six worshippers and injuring 19 others -- five seriously. Derbali, a father of three, took seven bullets in the massacre. Witnesses say he was shot while trying to distract the gunman as others fled the mosque.
In December, Muslim-Canadian non-profit to help Derbali purchase a wheelchair-accessible home. By the time the fundraiser ended, it had raised $416,375 from 4,801 donors in more than 40 countries. DawaNet plans to present Derbali with the money on Saturday.
Derbali, who now uses a motorized wheelchair to get around, is currently living in a rehabilitation centre.
鈥淚鈥檓 working to gain some autonomy,鈥� Derbali said of his protracted stint at the centre. 鈥淚鈥檓 starting to move my fingers鈥� (But) I have to deal with the pain. I have a lot of finger pain all the time.鈥�
Derbali says he hopes to move into his new home by the summer. In January, he told The Canadian Press that he wants to live close to the mosque because prayer will help him heal his psychological wounds.
鈥淲e have already found a home,鈥� Derbali added Friday.
After initially pleading not guilty to six charges of first-degree murder and six of attempted murder, 28-year-old Alexandre Bissonnette changed his mind on March 28 and pleaded guilty. Speaking in court that day, Bissonnette asked for forgiveness while denying that he was motivated by Islamophobia.
鈥淢y wife was very emotional in the case and she was crying after the hearing and she told me that he鈥檚 a human being,鈥� Derbali said. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 know if he was sincere in that case, because Monday morning he pleaded not guilty, and after that he changed his mind quickly鈥� In addition, he told (the court) that he is not a terrorist, he is not an Islamophobe. So I don鈥檛 know how... (he can) qualify this tragedy, these murders.鈥�
With files from The Canadian Press
