'No one should have survived what I went through': Stratford shooting victim speaks out

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A Stratford man shot in the head during a gun rampage that left two dead and two injured is speaking out.

David Tokley will soon mark his 44th birthday inside a London hospital where he is recovering from skull and brain surgery, few expected he would survive.

Wanting to show CTV News London the wound, he pointed to the staples along the right side of his skull — there are too many to count.

But David is a fan of numbers these days. Especially after police and medical officials told him they feared his number was up.

"Come on, I beat the odds. Like, who would have thought? No one should have survived what I went through. No one," he shared.

The Aug. 1 incident, which Stratford police have said related to an ongoing neighbour dispute, took the life of 36-year-old Jonathan Bennett and injured Stephanie Irvine and Tokley. The shooter later turned the gun on himself.

David's heart goes out to Irvine on the loss of Bennett. He said he knew the couple well.

The night of the shooting he'd been socializing at their home, just a few doors down from his.

He said he left the residence and let his dog 'Max' out around 10:25 p.m. About 20 minutes later, while bringing Max back into his apartment he was startled.

"Next thing you know, all I hear is bang, bang, bang. And I knew something was wrong. I just whipped it out the door."

As he ran he heard someone warn him about gunshots, but that didn't deter him.

Worried about Irvine's two children, he frantically wanted to get to her house to help.

David Tokley shows the injuries to his head after being shot in Stratford, Ont. on Aug. 2, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)While he believes his attempt distracted the shooter, potentially sparing Irvine's baby from harm, he didn't make it — he was shot about halfway there.

"Someone came from behind and said, 'You've been hit!’ And jumped on me.'"

David believes that person was an arriving police officer.

On the ground, the last thing he saw before passing out was the lifeless body of Jonathan Bennett.

"I knew it right away, I could see it. I said 'Oh No!'"

Waking up in hospital after nine hours of surgery, he learned with certainty Bennett had died.

Tokley said doctors then told him he'd be in the hospital for at least a month before being sent to a physical rehabilitation facility.

Despite potential memory loss, he contends his medical team is amazed by his progress and ability to get around.

Still, he worries his mental trauma will be long-lasting.

"Sometimes, I wake up middle of the night in a real cold, cold sweat. It's because I've woken up because my brain is reliving what happened."

But his brain is also replaying a message of gratitude. That might seem odd for a man missing part of his skull after being shot, but David contends there are still reasons to be thankful.

"I just want people to know there's still good in the world. Like, look at me, I'm a walking miracle. Who would have thought?"

Over the past days, he has been asked by many if he'd run towards gunfire again, to help others.

He does not pause to answer, and said, "I would do it again in a heartbeat. I wouldn't hesitate, I wouldn't hesitate."