A young woman who was left paralyzed from the chest down after a shooting incident in Cole Harbour, N.S., had her say in Supreme Court on Monday.

Ashley MacLean testified she thought she was going to die the night she was shot. Markel Jason Downey has pleaded not guilty to a total of 28 charges, including three of attempted murder.

MacLean, who is 20 now but 18 during the incident, was supported in court by her family and friends. Her mother sat beside her on the stand while she gave her testimony because due to MacLean's injuries, she uses a wheelchair and has limited use of her arms and hands.

MacLean told the court that she was at a friend's house playing video games in an upstairs bedroom when she was shot.

She testified that her friends and a group of young men wearing bandanas came into the room. MacLean says she saw the accused holding a small silver gun.

She says they flicked the lights off and on, which was when she started to “freak out.”

MacLean testified that the accused Downey told her to shut up and then shot her. She recalled the room filling with smoke from gun fire. Her friend tried to calm her down by saying the shots weren't real.

"I thought I was dead,” MacLean told the court. “I couldn't move. I couldn't feel anything."

MacLean and her two friends were rushed to hospital. She testified that while in the ambulance, she told police who she thought shot her.

On Monday, the defence questioned MacLean about how she could tell if the intruders were wearing bandanas. MacLean explained that she was 100 per cent certain because she knew the accused from school and recognized the voice.

“He is certainly pointing out the fact that the men were masked and he's questioning the witness’s ability to make an identity in that circumstance,” said Crown attorney James Giacomantonio.

Giacomantonio also said due to his client’s medical condition, she couldn't spend a full day on the stand. MacLean was cross examined Monday afternoon and will return to court on Tuesday to finish her testimony.

Three other people were charged and have pleaded guilty in the matter. They were all under 18 and their identities are banned from publication.

None of the accusations against Downey have been proven in court.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kelland Sundahl.