The innocent victim of a downtown shooting is still recovering in hospital.
On Tuesday evening, 24-year-old Jose Neto was walking with his girlfriend in the 500 Block of Centre Street when shots were fired. Neto was hit by a stray bullet and is now permanently blind.
Neto is in stable condition at the Rockyview Hospital and is now awake and able to talk.
"A lot of people were shocked. We never expected this to happen in such a safe city like Calgary. When Brazilians come to Canada, we feel very safe and for that reason...it was very shocking and very disappointing," says Deise MacDougall, a member of the Albertan Brazilian Community Association.
Neto is originally from Fortaleza which is the capital of the Brazilian state of Ceara.
Neto is eager to go home but his recovery is going to take time. The police victims' assistance unit is doing what it can to get the 24-year-old the help he needs to deal with the incident.
The local Brazilian community is planning to raise money to either fly Neto's family to Calgary or to fly Neto home to Brazil. They are hoping to set up a trust fund but the details have not yet been decided.
