VANCOUVER, British Columbia (BRAIN) — A year after a near-fatal shooting near one of this bike shops, long-time Vancouver retailer Paul Dragan is about "60 percent" recovered, he told the Vancouver Observer in an article posted Thursday.
Dragan, who owns the Reckless Bike Stores chain, will be honored next week as the 2015 Retail Ambassador of the Year by the Retail Council of Canada.
According to news reports at the time, Dragan walked across the street from one of his stores to get a cup of coffee when he was shot. Police on bikes chased the suspect for several blocks before arresting him after shooting him near a science museum. The suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment for gun shots. At least one police officer was also injured.
The alleged shooter — a former shop employee and a tenant of Dragan's — is still in jail awaiting trial.
Dragan is well known across the Canadian cycling community as a retailer, former competitor and an organizer of the Velo-City conference in Vancouver.
Dragan told the Observer than he considers himself about 60 percent recovered from the shooting. He said he was told he lost 80 percent of his blood and was near death.
“When I talk to the medical people, that’s when I go: holy smokes, none of these guys thought I was going to be alive,” he told the paper.
BRAIN editors plan to visit Reckless Bike during a BRAIN Dealer Tour of Vancouver next month.
