Victim of Bradshaw Drive shooting reflects on a Christmas that was harder than ever

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

For many Stratfordians, this holiday season was a mixed-bag. Whether it was the rising cost of living, the strain the whole world is facing, or other personal reasons, there were many hurdles to be faced this December.

For David Tokley in particular, this Christmas was harder than ever.

Tokley was one of the victims of the Bradshaw Drive shooting on Aug. 1, when resident Ricky Bilcke shot numerous neighbours, killing one, before turning the gun on himself.

Tokley had taken his dog out that evening when he heard what he thought were firecrackers going off nearby. After a few loud bangs, he heard screaming and realized that it couldn’t have been, running outside.

“I booked it out the door not knowing what was going on,” Tokley said. “All I was hearing was kids were screaming.”

While running, Tokley was shot in the head. He didn’t feel it in full at the time, describing the sensation as just “something hitting” him, but he later woke up in hospital and felt the full impact then. Numerous surgeries followed – along with an outpouring of well wishes from family, friends, co-workers and the wider Stratford community. Those well-wishes even evolved into a GoFundMe page, which raised just over a $1,000 at the time.

Tokley said he was shocked with the response from the community, but time has passed since last summer and the money from the page didn’t go far with all the expenses he acquired and his inability to work. In early January, he posted on the popular Facebook community group, Stratford Connect, about some of the struggles he is going through.

“It just felt so bad watching everyone open up presents, handing presents around,” Tokley told the Times, saying he wasn’t able to contribute as much as he normally would. “Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year, next to Halloween, and then not being able to do my normal stuff I do every year and all that. … I like to go out sometimes, like out walking around just to see all the Christmas lights. I didn't even do that this year because of the weather.”

Since the weather changed last month, the air pressure is so bad Tokley said there are days he can’t get out of bed to walk his dog. If the pressure is temperate enough that he could go outside, without the other half of his skull to stave off the cold, the brain freezes this winter have been devastating, limiting what he could do. That’s on top of the mental challenges he has been faced with.

“I have good days and bad days,” he said. “I suffer from depression … and then there is the other thing, PTSD; … it’s something that a lot of people go through in situations that have happened to me.”

Immediately following the shooting, Tokley was flooded with attention from the community and from the health-care system. However, as time progressed, he said it was a struggle to hear from people.

For instance, Tokley was assigned a therapist and was told to wait for their call. He waited and waited but was only in to see them in December for an evaluation, five months after his injury. His first real session is scheduled for March, eight months after being shot.

“For anyone else who goes through what I went through, as soon as you get discharged, start making phone calls because you don’t know if you’ll get the doctors phoning,” Tokley advised.

Financially, it's been extremely difficult being on employment insurance (EI), Tokley said. He has to wait until his EI runs out to apply for disability, but even being on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) wouldn’t be enough to live in Stratford.

Tokley isn’t staying in Stratford currently. He couldn’t live in the same house due to the trauma of reliving the shooting each and every day, and is living with family in Cambridge currently. He wants to return to Stratford, return to work at the Tim Hortons on Huron Street, but it isn’t feasible right now. Single bedroom apartments are just too expensive in the city and despite the desire to work, he just isn’t ready yet.

For all the anxiety he has for the future, Tokley said he is looking forward to a nine-hour cranial surgery (which was scheduled for Jan. 10, after press time) that would see a synthetic skull be put in to bolster his weakened bone. After the surgery, Tokley said he’s also looking forward to returning to work once he’s able.

Additionally, the GoFundMe page that was started in August for him was re-energized since his January post. As of publication, $4,035 has been raised for him and can be found at www.gofundme.com/f/help-david-ducky-tokley.

Aside from that, Tokley said there is one other thing he is looking forward to.

“Not having a repeat of last year,” he laughed.