MONTREAL - A man shot following Tuesday’s PQ election victory at the Metropolis Bar is hoping that the attack, which left his colleague and good friend Denis Blanchette dead, will contribute to an end to such incidents.
Dave Courage, 27, spoke to CTV Montreal Saturday from his hospital room, where he has undergone operations to repair damage to his hip and intestine.
In his account, the provincial police was not negligent, as some have claimed.
“(Alleged gunman Richard) Bain was around the whole time, probably looking at us,” said Courage. “We were out standing on the staircase, it was full of people, friends of mine, colleagues and he took a shot at us."
The incident was a sudden shock, as he recounts.
“I felt the bullet hit me but I never felt a bullet hit before so it felt brand new, like someone punched me in the hips. A fraction of a second after, I felt the impact, which was simultaneous with the sound of the explosion, and I fell.”
Courage said that the realization of what had happened overshadowed his intense discomfort.
“I couldn’t stand up. It wasn’t a question of pain, there was an extreme amount of pain. I thought: ‘What’s going on? Is it for real?’”
Perhaps the most intense pain, however, came with the news that he had lost his best friend Denis Blanchette who was killed by the same bullet.
“I kept hearing his little girl calling for him,” said Courage. “I don’t want to forget Denis, I don’t want to forget what happened, I want to learn from what happened and I want everybody to learn from what happened and I don’t want it to ever happen again.”
An official funeral for Denis Blanchette takes place Monday at the Marseille Church in the city’s east end. The church has a capacity of 350 and many dignitaries are expected to attend.
