'I was trying to get away': Kingsway Mall shooting victim says he may never recover

**Warning the details in this story may be disturbing to some readers**

A man who was shot outside an Edmonton shopping mall earlier this month says he doesn't know if he'll ever fully recover from his injuries.

Tyler Marshall was locking his bike up outside Walmart at Kingsway Mall around 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 5 when he was approached by a stranger.

"I was trying to get away from them. Tell them 'I'm sorry. I don't understand what you're saying,'" he told CTV News Edmonton.

"When that conversation went nowhere I started walking away. As I was walking away, he said something and I turned around and that's when he shot me."

Police say Marshall's attacker went on to carjack a truck and drove it to the traffic circle at 101 Street and 118 Avenue, where he drove it into a building.

Dakota Grey, 28, is facing more than 20 criminal charges in connection to the shooting and carjacking.

He's scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 4.

Marshall suffered injuries to his torso, legs and hand as a result of the single shot fired from a sawed-off shotgun.

The pellets destroyed most of his index finger.

"I did not realize that at the time. I had initially tried to grab my phone. And that's when I realized they couldn't grab my phone, and I thought 'Hang on, what's going on.'"

He says he's currently undergoing treatment on his hand and doesn't know how much he'll be able to use it when the bandages come off.

Tyler Marshall speaks to CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti on Dec. 28, 2023. (Matt Marshall/CTV News Edmonton)

"We had to amputate the index finger and part of the middle finger had to be reattached; the bone near the joint is broken. So currently it's pinned in place right now. And the thumb was the most minor part. It just had some stuff in the tip of it, the pad of the thumb."

It's also taken him weeks to be able to walk again after the injuries to his legs.

"The first few days in the hospital, it was very difficult. To walk to the washroom was all I was capable of. It took a couple more days to go down the hall."

Marshall works at a restaurant in the parking lot of Kingsway Mall, but he's unable to work because of his injuries.

"I had very little savings to begin with. And with expenses, I've spent them all already," he said. "AHS was very quick to send the ambulance bill, and medication is expensive."

He says he's now borrowing money from friends and family to pay rent and bills.

His brother started a GoFundMe page to help Marshall cover his expenses.

Marshall doesn't know how long he'll be in rehabilitation for his injuries.

"We have no idea if the hand will actually be good after this. And potentially I could have to have a new joint or something else. And that could lead to more surgeries down the road."

He doesn't know if he'll ever be able to go back to Kingsway.

"I don't feel comfortable going back there. The thought of it still worries me."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti