Hamilton cadet captain still unable to walk after restaurant assault during poppy drive

HAMILTON — A Hamilton air cadet commander says he remains paralyzed from the waist down more than a week after he was injured while supervising cadets selling Remembrance Day poppies.Capt. Kenneth Kunkel, 59, was supervising members of 826 Griffin Squadron Royal Canadian Air Cadets at the Centre on Barton on November 1 when two youths allegedly blew an air horn into the cadets’ ears. Police said Kunkel followed the youths into the Mandarin restaurant where a struggle followed involving a 48-year-old woman, Estela Quintanilla. Kunkel fell during the struggle and was struck while on the ground, requiring emergency spinal surgery the same day.In a statement shared Friday by Hamilton East–Stoney Creek Conservative MP Ned Kuruc, Kunkel said he is still in hospital, in continual pain, and taking medication for pain management. “The doctors cannot give me a future prognosis at this point in time,” he wrote. “According to the doctors, I will require many months of rehabilitation therapy.” He added that he is self-employed in civilian life but has been unable to operate his business because of his injuries. His wife, daughter, and son are receiving therapy..Kunkel said a cadet called him after a young male blasted an air horn into her ear and assaulted her. He located the youth inside the Mandarin, told him they needed to contact police, and grabbed his backpack. He said the youth began throwing punches, an adult woman confronted him, and the youth ripped a lanyard from his neck. While he reached for his lanyard, he said the woman slammed him into a concrete pillar. “My spine took all of the impact directly. The instant this happened, I immediately lost the use of my legs,” he wrote. He said the youth then punched him in the face repeatedly while he was on the ground. He was taken by ambulance and underwent spine surgery that night.Quintanilla, of Hamilton, has been charged with assault. A 12-year-old boy was charged with aggravated assault; a second youth under 12 cannot be charged. Neither youth can be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.Quintanilla’s next court date is February 4, 2027. In earlier interviews with The Hamilton Spectator and Rebel News, Quintanilla said she intervened because she believed the boys were in danger, denied pushing or tripping Kunkel, and said she expects video to support her account. She said she was fired from her job with Effort Trust..Premier Doug Ford addressed the case on November 9 while speaking in Peterborough. He called the behaviour “absolutely disgusting” and said of the parents of the youths involved: “You should give your kids a little ass whooping in the woodshed, as far as I’m concerned.” He added that “a kid beating up cadets that are trying to serve our country” was “the most disgusting thing you could ever do.”A GoFundMe organized by a family friend has raised more than $299,000. Kunkel is a longtime cadet volunteer, a Canadian Armed Forces member, a husband, a father of two, and a grandfather.You can find the GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/one-act-of-violence-a-familys-life-changed-forever

Hamilton cadet captain still unable to walk after restaurant assault during poppy drive

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