Police in Toronto have released shocking footage of a brazen attempted murder using a high-powered crossbow hidden in a delivery box in hopes of finding the assailant.

Edited CCTV footage released by local Canadian police shows a man dressed as a delivery driver carrying a large box with a crossbow hidden inside aimed at the front door of the home. Detectives believe he was a hitman aiming to kill the homeowner, a 44-year-old woman, with a razor-sharp big game arrow, designed to bring down and kill animals such as elk and moose.

The woman sustained life-altering injuries to her organs, and faces an indefinite recovery period, according to police. Miraculously, she managed to close the door and call 911 despite her traumatic injuries.

“The injuries that she sustained were absolutely devastating,” Detective Sergeant Jim Kettles of Peel police told reporters during a press conference Monday. “She’ll be in recovery phase for the rest of her life… Her life will never be the same.”

No physical evidence to identify the would-be hitman was found during their initial scan of the crime scene at the suburban home outside Toronto, Canada on November 7, 2018, and the assailant remains at large.

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Authorities say comments made by the attacker to the victim indicate she was targeted by a third party who hired the assailant. The suspect fled the scene in a dark-coloured pickup truck and police have released footage and stills in case a member of the public can identify him.

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