Shooting victim's old self 'gone forever'

A Nova Scotia man who was shot in the chest and left for dead says his life was essentially taken fromhim that dayin November 2008.

Michael Patriquen Jr., and members of his family gave victim impact statements in Halifax on Wednesday at a hearing to determine if the teenager found guilty of attempted murder should be sentenced as a youth or an adult.

The victim's mother, Melanie Stephen, said the shooting was "absolutely horrific" for Patriquen and the rest of the family.

"His world is now his bedroom," she said. "That is the size of his world. He suffers a great deal from depression."

One by one, family members spoke about the impact the shooting has had on them.

Patriquen's sister spoke about her life as the family worked to make sure the young shooter was convicted.

"It seemed after the shooting, every young hoodlum and their friends and supporters hung around the school and told me I was next," Ray Patriquen, Michael's sister,said.

"Why did he try to kill my brother? What kind of man would put a gun to another man's chest and pull the trigger?"

The most gut-wrenching testimony came from Michael Patriquen himself. The shooting at his Middle Sackville home made him a paraplegic.

"The man who fired at me took my life," he said. "He wanted to take it in a complete sense, but instead he changed me into someone I do not know. Whoever I turn out to be, the man I was is gone forever.

"I hate my post-impact life. I look out the window and dream of summers past. Of barbecues, and long drives, and the things a young man does before he settles down and raises a family."

Sergio Bowers, 21, of Lower Sackville got eight years in prison for his role in the shooting. The court heard that Bowers had asked an armed "individual" to go to Patriquen's house after a disagreement.

The Crown is asking for an adult sentence for the 18-year-old North Preston manwho shot Patriquen. He was 17 at the time and cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The maximum sentence for a youth is three years, while an adult sentence could mean eight to 14 years in prison.