Shooter at Pump Roadhouse forgiven by victim in court

Pair shake hands as gunman pledges never again to resort to violence

Having offered several emotional apologies to one of two men he shot at the Pump Roadhouse two years ago, Omar Haji-Hussein received forgiveness and a handshake from the man before leaving court to begin a penitentiary sentence.

The 32-year-old occasionally broke from a written statement he’d prepared for his Wednesday sentencing at Regina Court of Queen’s Bench to offer a few impromptu apologies.

Following the first of several, the complainant replied, “I forgive you.”

At the completion of sentencing, Haji-Hussein took one more opportunity to meet the man’s eye as he said, “I’m so sorry, man. From the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry.”

The complainant approached his shooter and extended his arm for a handshake. After meeting the handshake — and after the complainant left the courtroom — Haji-Hussein sat in the prisoner’s box and wept.

The complainant did not file a victim impact statement, did not wish to address the court and left without speaking to media.

The other man who was shot was not present in court and also did not file a victim impact statement.

Court heard Haji-Hussein — a former Pump employee — had targeted that second man as retribution for a serious assault.

Shortly after 1 a.m. on April 29, 2016, Haji-Hussein walked into the busy Pump, approached the man who’d allegedly assaulted him, and shot him. The bullet, court heard, passed through the man’s jaw, wounding him.

Meanwhile, the complainant who attended court — unknown to Haji-Hussein — had simply hoped to cap off his night with a taco-in-a-bag from the Pump. He’d just received his food when he was shot by the fleeing gunman. He was hit in the wrist and shoulder and continues to experience some numbness.

Since Haji-Hussein had worked at the Pump, police were soon able to identify the shooter and issue a Canada-wide warrant. He wasn’t arrested until September 2016. He was initially charged with attempted murder, but instead pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of aggravated assault.

“This appears to have been a targeted shooting ... in a crowded public location,” said Crown prosecutor Lori O’Connor. “It was enormously dangerous to the public.”

She attributed it to luck that no one was killed or anyone else seriously injured.

Defence lawyer Nicholas Stooshinoff told the court his client, a Canadian citizen, immigrated from Somalia in 1996, leaving the war-torn country with his father and siblings. While he has returned on occasion — once to volunteer at a refugee camp — he struggled in Canada and eventually gained both a severe alcohol problem and a criminal record.

Haji-Hussein was reportedly heavily intoxicated at the time of the shooting and has little recollection of it. Because of that, he was unable to say why he shot the bystander, other than guessing he might have thought the man was trying to tackle him.

“I promise never to resort to hostility and violence to another person for as long as I live,” Haji-Hussein said, declaring his intention to take all available programming in prison. He ended that promise by again meeting the complainant’s eye and stating, “I’m sorry, man.”

He also apologized to the man he targeted and to the city of Regina.

Justice Lana Krogan agreed to impose the sentence suggested by Crown and defence counsel, handing down a total of seven years, eight months. After remand credit, Haji-Hussein has five years remaining of his sentence.