Community support comes in for teenage victim of bus shelter attack

Dozens ofWinnipeggers have donated more than $3,000 in an effort to helpa 17-year-old internationalstudent who was attacked in a downtown bus shelter.

The University of Manitoba studentarrived in Winnipeg from India three weeks before the apparently unprovokedattack in a shelter atPortage Place mall on Jan. 24. At the time, police said he was so badly beaten he couldn't get up from the concrete.

In the days that followed, the university's Indian Students' Association worked to figure out who hewas and how they could help.

DhruvPatel, the association's president, said he finally met him on Thursday. The student preferred to remain anonymous.

"He's a very shy, shy gentleman. He's very calm. By the way I was talking to him, he's not someone that would give you attitude, you know?" Patel said. "He's an introvert."

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The association also teamed up with Ventura Developments, a Winnipeg business, to raise money to help the student get back on his feet. Nearly 50 people had donated more than $3,000 to a GoFundMe campaign as of Friday afternoon.

Patel said most of that money will help the victim with basics like lodging he's currently staying with a family friend transportation and food. A portion of it will go to the student association's fund to support other international students in need.

The association is also working with professors and university officials to see if they can reschedule some of the victim's exams and assignments.

"Right now he's just recovering. I won't be able to tell you the exact details, but he's in the process of healing whatever's happened to him," Patel said.

"He's got beaten up pretty badly so it's going to take time for him to heal."

Joshua Zachary Snakeskin, 26, was arrested in connection with the attack. The charges against Snakeskin include assault, robbery, theft, mischief and dangerous operation of a vehicle.