Kathryn Linder thanks first responders for saving her life in the July 2022 hostage situation in Lethbridge, September 23, 2022. (Image: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Hostage survivor thanks first responders for saving her life

Sep 23, 2022 | 4:08 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Kathryn Linder thought her life was going to end on July 14, 2022. Two months later on September 23, she met with the first responders who she says saved her life.

Linder was able to make it out of a hostage situation alive thanks to the efforts of the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS), Lethbridge Fire & Emergency Services (LFES), and Alberta Health Services (AHS).

The allegations below have not been proven in court at the time of publication.

On July 14, a person allegedly entered Linder’s place of work at the Lethbridge Legal Guidance office.

According to a prior media release from LPS, a woman wanted to speak with her legal aid lawyer, but the lawyer was unavailable. After approximately 10 minutes, police allege that the suspect brandished an airsoft rifle and a knife and threatened to kill employees.

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Linder says she was taken hostage in a separate room.

“When she barricaded the door, I thought, ‘Oh, this is not going to be the way I expected,'” says Linder. “Most clients, if you listen to them, speak to them firmly and calmy, they tend to de-escalate, they relax, realize you’re trying to help. That was not the case with her. She had already made up her mind.”

While being held captive, Linder explains that she tried to think about other things like her family, a vacation she had planned, and whether her co-workers were safe.

LPS claims that Linder was stabbed in the neck multiple times and suffered life-threatening injuries. Linder says when she screamed out, police and paramedics, who had been stationed outside, immediately burst into the room, arresting the suspect and taking Linder to the hospital.

Linder explains that her nearly week-long hospital stay was tough as she had a trachea tube in her throat and was unable to talk. Despite being told that she would be in the hospital for several weeks, she recovered more quickly than expected and was able to return home.

She credited the immediate response from emergency crews as the reason she is still alive today.

“It’s such a wonderful opportunity to be able to say thank you to everybody who had a part in saving my life because I would not be standing here, my kids would have lost their mother,” says Linder. “It’s absolutely overwhelming the outpouring of concern that I’ve had in the last six weeks, especially in the immediate weeks following, and now overwhelmed at the number of people who were involved.”

Linder generally describes herself as a “live every day in the moment” kind of person, but she says she is that way even more so now.

“Live your life, buy the shoes, smell the flowers, eat the cake. Life is short, enjoy it. Appreciate the people who are with you, let them know you appreciate them,” says Linder.

LPS Staff Sgt. Leon Borbandy says it is not every day that they get to meet with the victims of violent crime in an upbeat setting, but he is glad that they were able to.

“Getting to meet Kathryn and seeing her strength is great,” says Borbandy.

On the day of the incident, Borbandy was the incident commander and the lead in the police response to the hostage situation.

He could not recall the exact number of police officers on scene, but says it was “a lot.”

“We set up containment and tried to make sense of a chaotic situation and ensure the safety of those around,” Borbandy explains. “Then we established communications as soon as possible inside, and then our tactical team rolled up and took over the immediate response to the situation. My role is to support them through the incident command system.”

LFES Deputy Chief Chris Tomaras says it was a stressful and difficult situation, but he is proud of the work that all of the emergency response teams were able to do.

“LPS, the hospital, our front-line crews, it was seamless and that’s just a testament to the training. We’ve been preparing for these types of moments,” says Tomaras.

Tomaras adds that the city’s emergency responders conduct regular training for serious incidents as frequently as they can.

“Ultimately, we have to be prepared for the worst possible outcomes, and I think on this day, it showed that that inter-agency cooperation came through and we were able to provide the best patient care for the City of Lethbridge and Kathryn,” says Tomaras.

In connection with this incident, Courtney Louise Shaw, 40, of Lethbridge, has been charged with one count each of attempted murder, aggravated assault, taking a hostage, and assault with a weapon (knife), as well as two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Shaw also faces four counts each of unlawful confinement, uttering threats, pointing a firearm, and assault with a weapon (firearm).

Shaw has not entered pleas at this time.