A 59-year-old man who was assaulted while supervising the distribution of Remembrance Day poppies by Air Cadets at a Hamilton, Ont., mall over the weekend remains unable to walk and faces an “uncertain” long-term recovery, according to a statement from his family. The incident happened at The Centre on Barton near Barton Street and Kenilworth Avenue on Sunday afternoon. Police have previously said that two youths approached Air Cadets members in front of a restaurant and “blew a loud air horn” into their ears. The supervisor of the cadets followed the suspects into a restaurant and confronted them, at which point he was allegedly assaulted by a woman who was not involved in the initial altercation. A male youth then allegedly struck the man multiple times before fleeing the scene. Police later charged a 12-year-old boy with assault and a 48-year-old woman with aggravated assault in connection with the incident. In a statement provided to CTV News, a spokesperson for the family identified the victim as Canadian Armed Forces member Kenneth Kunkel. Kunkel is a commanding officer of 826 Gryphon Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, the spokesperson said. Police have previously described his injuries as serious and “life-altering.” In the statement, Kunkel’s son Christopher shared that his father underwent spinal surgery on Sunday and “and is receiving specialist care and mobility rehabilitation” but faces an uncertain prognosis. “Our family’s understanding is that my father intervened to protect his cadets and de-escalate the situation. Those young people were giving their time to honour veterans and help their community. They deserved to be safe, and so did the person responsible for their wellbeing,” Christopher Kunkel wrote. “The involvement of a child in violence this serious demands attention. We need to confront youth violence and take the safety of cadets and community volunteers seriously.” In the statement provided to CTV News, Christopher Kunkel alleged that the 48-year-old woman charged in the incident attacked his father in such a way that it impacted his spine and “caused his legs to buckle and immediately lose function.” He said that the 12-year-old charged in the incident then “repeatedly punched” his father while he was on the ground. The allegations have not yet been tested in court. “After an unforgettable Halloween evening where Captain Kenneth Kunkel walked his four grandchildren around the neighbourhood to visit friends and neighbours, we are decimated by the senseless attack that may have forever robbed four kids of their grandfather’s playful, loving tendencies,” Christopher Kunkel wrote. The attack on Kunkel has drawn widespread condemnation, with federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre taking to social media earlier this week to express his dismay. “No child should fear violence while selling a poppy. No Canadian should be brutalized for standing up for them. Those responsible for this cowardly attack must face the full consequences of the law,” Poilievre said. Hamilton East–Stoney Creek MP Ned Kuruc also addressed the incident in the House of Commons this week, noting that he was “absolutely disgusted” by the allegations. “To see a CAF member attacked while volunteering his time to support our veterans is heartbreaking and completely unacceptable,” he said.
