VIDEO: Man arrested for allegedly hiring man to shoot his former partner with a crossbow in Mississauga
Published August 18, 2020 at 4:15 pm
On Aug. 18, Peel Regional Police appeared at a press conference and played a gutwrenching video in which a woman recounted the life-altering physical and psychological injuries she sustained after being shot with a crossbow at point-blank range in Mississauga.
“After finally leaving a volatile and toxic five-year relationship, I was finally feeling happy and looking forward to the life I wanted,” the unnamed woman said in the video before reliving the instant when a man posing as a delivery person shot her in the torso with a crossbow.
“I thought I was going to die.”
Police say that on Nov. 7, 2018, a male suspect posing as a deliveryman and carrying a box appeared at a residence on Bayberry Drive, near the intersection of Argentia and Winston Churchill.
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The victim, a woman who was 44-years-old at the time of the incident, answered the door and had a brief conversation with the suspect before he allegedly shot her in the chest with an arrow using a crossbow that was concealed inside of the box.
Police say the suspect retreated to a dark-coloured pickup truck that was parked nearby and fled the area.
At the news conference, police said that 50-year-old Mississauga man Roger Jaggernauth, the woman’s former common-law partner, has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. Police say the accused was held for a bail hearing and appeared in court on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020.
Police allege that Jaggernauth, who was arrested on Aug. 12, hired someone to shoot the woman. Police said he’s been charged with attempted murder, criminal harassment, and counselling an indictable offence.
“Investigators believe [the suspect] hired someone to commit this offence,” Det. Sgt. Jim Kettles told reporters.
“It is clear due to comments made to the survivor by the suspect that this attack was meant to end the survivor’s life.”
In the video, the woman, who credited police and paramedics with saving her life, said she underwent three days of life-saving surgeries after the attack.
“I did not open my eyes for 10 days. That’s when I realized I survived. Although I survived the attack, I would never be the same again,” she said.
The woman said that since the attack, she has undergone 19 medical procedures, countless CT scans and a major surgery.
“Not only do I live with constant pain, but I live with constant fear for my safety and the safety of those around me,” she said.
“Fear of large crowds, fear of being alone. I even experience anxiety from the sound of the doorbell.”
Police are offering a $25,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to the conviction of the man who shot the crossbow in the 2018 attack.
At the news conference, police asked members of the community to do their part to combat intimate partner violence.
“As a community, we all have a role to play; whether you are a neighbour, co-worker, parent, child, sibling or friend, if you know or suspect that someone you care about is a victim of intimate partner violence, please encourage and support them to reach out to police or one of our community partners so they can get the support they need. Collectively as a community, we can do better. We must do better”, said Deputy Chief Marc Andrews in a statement.
The woman pleaded with the public for help in identifying the man who shot her.
“If you know anything about the man who did this to me, please call the police,” the woman said.
“Don’t let what happened to me happen to anyone else.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact investigators at the 11 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau using the dedicated tip line of 905-456-5840. Information may also be left anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477) or by visiting peelcrimestoppers.ca.
This article has been updated from its original version to include a video of the victim’s statement and other information
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