Most-read stories of the week: Stratford shooting, corn crop concerns, and the death of a deer

Stratford Shooting leaves 2 dead, 2 others in hospital

Shocking new details have been released about Thursday night's triple shooting in Stratford, Ont.

The Stratford Police Service has identified the gunman as 31-year-old Ricky Bilcke and took the unusual step of naming all the victims.

They said Bilcke, using a high-powered rifle, first shot Jonathan Bennett, 36, from across the street. Bilcke then got a shotgun and fired at David Tokley, 43, from the road. A third person, Stephanie Irvine, was shot while she was leaving her home.

Police said Bilcke fired several other shots that hit nearby residences, before turning the gun on himself. He died at the scene.

Bennett was transported to Stratford General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Tokley and Irvine were both airlifted to Victoria Hospital in London, Ont.

Tokley is said to have life-threatening injuries, while Irvine’s injuries are described as life-altering.

Children were present at the time of the shooting but police are still trying to determine if they were directly involved.

Community members express anger over apparent destruction of corn crop in Wilmot Township

Community members in Wilmot Township are once again raising concerns over the Region of Waterloo’s plan to acquire 770 acres of rural land.

The Fight for Farmland group gathered outside a Wilmot Township council meeting Monday night after photos of crops being supposedly destroyed surfaced online over the weekend.

The social media post sparked further outrage amongst local farmers who say the destruction of the crops is wasteful and unnecessary.

“Literally hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of corn completely shredded and chopped up and then tried to hide the evidence by plowing it under the ground”, said Kevin Thomason, vice-chair of the Grand River Environmental Network.

Local farmer and vice president of Waterloo Federation of Agriculture, Mark Reusser, mirrored those feelings.

“Everyone should hold them accountable. This is food for goodness sakes. This is what people eat. This is what people subsist on. We shouldn’t treat land that produces food so lightly,” he said.

Death of neighbourhood deer sparks anger among Waterloo residents

Waterloo residents are frustrated over the death of a wild deer that had been living in their neighbourhood, after repeated requests to help the animal were ignored.

The deer, nicknamed Dani, was first spotted in January in the Kingscourt Drive area.

One resident who spoke with CTV News in March described the deer as very calm and comfortable around people.

“It’s just odd to see it in our neighbourhood,” Rebecca Scholl told CTV News. “We’ve been here over 12 years. It’s not a regular occurrence.”

Concerned neighbours then started Facebook groups where they posted pictures whenever Dani was spotted on city streets.

Judy Furtado saw the deer on her Sandy Cove Crescent property almost daily.

“She was eating the dandelions and some neighbours’ flowers,” Furtado said.

People noted that Dani appeared skinnier and feared she wasn’t getting enough to eat.

“Obviously there’s bylaws in place where you can’t feed wild animals,” Furtado said. “We were really watching this deer starve.”

On Saturday, a deer was struck by a vehicle on Kingscourt Drive in Waterloo. The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth confirmed it was Dani.

The deer’s injuries were so severe, it had to be put down by a Waterloo Regional Police officer.

“It was heartbreaking,” Furtado recalled.

Police told CTV News the driver of the vehicle was not injured.

Dani the deer in an undated photo. (Source: Facebook/No Time to Paws)

Dream vacation turns painful for Kitchener, Ont. veteran

It was a dream vacation that a Kitchener, Ont. veteran says ended with a painful flight home.

Dan Doughty, who can’t bend his leg because of a previous injury, says a specific type of seat he had booked on a WestJet flight, which he required for comfortability, was given to someone else.

He says it happened on his journey home from an Alaskan cruise.

“I've been laid up for going on five years, and we've been planning this trip for I don't know, a decade. So we finally decided we're going to do it,” Doughty told CTV News.

Back in the late 1970s, Doughty was serving as a paratrooper in the Canadian Airborne Regiment when he suffered an injury during a jump that left him with a fused right knee.

“I cannot bend my leg whatsoever,” he said.

Now when he’s traveling on an airplane, he says he has to sit in a specific seat by the bulkhead.

“I'm able to put my foot sort of in the hallway next to the edge, and I'm comfortable.”

Doughty said his holiday was very nice except for the final flight home. His original booking with WestJet was cancelled, leading to a scramble to rebook a flight in the seat he needs to accommodate his disability.

But he said when he got to the gate, that seat had been assigned to someone else -- who he said declined to move.

In a statement to CTV News, WestJet apologized, saying: “We are sincerely sorry to Mr. Doughty for the inconvenience he experienced while travelling with WestJet. Upon being notified of this incident through your inquiry, we escalated this file to our guest support team, and they were able to confirm that the accommodation originally requested was included in his flight booking. On the day of the flight, the aircraft scheduled to operate WS0658 was switched to a different aircraft for operational reasons, and it was not equipped with the seating Mr. Doughty requested. We recognize this was a disappointing experience and can confirm WestJet agents at the gate offered an alternative option on a different flight which was declined.”

Dan Doughty, who can’t bend his leg because of a previous injury, says a specific type of seat he had booked on a WestJet flight, which he required for comfortability, was given to someone else. (Krista Simpson/CTV News)

Dramatic takedown in Kitchener caught on camera

Waterloo Regional Police say a high-risk arrest on Monday is linked to lengthy drug investigation in Kitchener.

A driver, who just happened to be travelling on Traynor Avenue, caught the dramatic takedown on dash cam video around 5 p.m.

The video, which was later posted on Reddit, shows vans speeding down the street, then stopping suddenly in front of an e-bike.

A loud bang is heard, followed by a cloud of smoke.

Officers wearing tactical gear can then be seen jumping out of the vans and surrounding the driver on the ground.

Police said the arrest was done by their Drug and Firearms Unit and Emergency Response Team.

“Officers had information that the individual who was under arrest may have had a firearm on hand,” said Const. Chris Iden. “To ensure community safety, a high-risk arrest was completed.”

Police said the 30-year-old man on the e-bike was carrying a replica gun, a large quantity of drugs and cash.

He’s facing multiple weapons-related charges, as well as possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and five counts of breaching a court order.

Police said their Drugs and Firearms Unit and Emergency Response Team made the arrest on July 31, 2024. (Reddit/Dave Wolf)