Victim sues Red River Ex for 2022 shooting

An 18-year-old man who was shot at the Red River Exhibition two years ago has nightmares and is unable to work, a lawsuit claims.

The man is suing the Red River Exhibition Association, North American Midway-Canada Co. and two employers for damages and health-care costs.

“As a result of the shooting, the plaintiff underwent emergency surgery, was hospitalized for approximately one week and has since been participating in the recovery process,” a statement of claim said. “The plaintiff now has difficulty urinating, has constant burning in his legs and is unable to do the regular activities that he did before he was shot.

“The plaintiff also suffers from ongoing nightmares about the shooting, is afraid of loud noises and is paranoid when he is outside in public.”

He was 16 when he and a boy, then 11, were wounded in the June 2022 shooting, which prompted more security measures at the annual fair and a prison sentence for gunman Mocree Chuck Scatch-Dubour.

The plaintiff claims he was on his evening break, while working at a pick-a-duck game operated by Ashley and Josh Gallagher, when he was approached and threatened by “Mocree and his gang.”

As he walked away, he told Ashley Gallagher he thought the group was looking for a fight and had a gun, according to the statement of claim filed in Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench last week.

The man claims Ashley Gallagher told him to go back to his work station and not to worry, and failed to report the threat to security and police.

“The plaintiff then walked towards the kiosk while still being pursued by Mocree and his gang, when Mocree pulled a gun from his cross-bag and shot the plaintiff on his left side just above his hip,” the lawsuit said.

The man claims the defendants breached a duty of care by failing, among other things, to screen fairgoers for weapons upon entry and ensure his workplace was reasonably safe.

He incurred the cost of the ambulance ride to hospital and has suffered a loss of income, the lawsuit said.

None of the defendants has filed a statement of defence. None of the allegations has been tested in court.

The Red River Ex Association and North American Midway declined to comment because the matter is before the courts.

Ashley and Josh Gallagher could not be reached for comment. The lawsuit said the pair lives “somewhere” in Ontario.

In May 2023, Scatch-Dubour was given a 5 1/2-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to discharge of a firearm with intent to wound, aggravated assault and possession of a restricted firearm.

The self-described “higher up” in a Winnipeg street gang was sentenced as an adult. Provincial court Judge Catherine Carlson was told the shooting happened eight days before his 18th birthday.

Court was told Scatch-Dubour took a gun to the fair, knowing he might encounter a rival gang member. The pair met and agreed to fight near a washroom.

Scatch-Dubour shot the other teen in the abdomen after interpreting something he said as a threat to the gunman’s girlfriend, the judge heard.

The bullet went through the victim’s body and struck the 11-year-old boy in the buttocks. The boy also underwent treatment in hospital.

A 15-year-old girl, who was with Scatch-Dubour, pleaded guilty to possession of a restricted firearm and was sentenced to deferred custody.

The security budget for last year’s Red River Ex was nearly doubled to almost $300,000, largely to hire additional police officers, CEO Garth Rogerson said at the time.

Other measures included metal detectors and additional security cameras.

Rogerson said last year the weapon used in the 2022 shooting was a so-called ghost gun, which was made of plastic that does not react to traditional metal-detecting wands.

He said the fair had never had such an incident since it began in 1952.

This year’s Red River Ex runs from June 14 to 23.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca