'Nobody deserved to die': Neighbours, friends react to Stratford, Ont. shooting

A neighbourhood in Stratford, Ont. is reeling from the shock of a triple shooting that has left residents in disbelief.

“To think that from the shadows, a deadly shot rang out that night as they were, I believe, celebrating a birthday and that initial shot was a deadly one,” said neighbour and friend of the victims, Shane Wiebe.

Police said they received multiple 911 calls about the shooting on Bradshaw Drive, near McCarthy Road, around 10:45 p.m. Thursday.

“We were upstairs in our bedroom and we heard the shots,” said neighbour Kira Brine. “I turned to my husband, went, ‘what was that?’ he said ‘those were gunshots’. So we stayed inside. I barely slept because when you hear something like that, you automatically go into trauma brain. You're not really thinking.”

The Stratford Police Service 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.

Mike Adair, chief of Perth County Paramedic Services, commended all first responders who attended the scene.

“Perth County Paramedics are highly trained and prepared to respond to all types of medical emergencies, even those that are highly tragic. On behalf of PCPS, we are deeply saddened at the devastating loss of life and the impact that such an act will have on the victims, their family and friends, our fellow first responders, and the broader community-at-large,” Adair said in a statement.

Warden of Perth County, Rhonda Ehgoetz, also issued a statement in the aftermath of the shooting, saying: “Our deepest condolences are with those who have been impacted by this devastating incident across our community including the victims, family members, friends, and neighbours. We are grateful at Perth County to have incredibly brave first responders that can provide life-saving measures within our community.”

Neighbour dispute

Police are linking the shooting to an ongoing neighbour dispute.

“It appears that all parties did know one another. We've been receiving reports of ongoing neighbor disputes,” Const. Darren Fischer told CTV News on Friday.

According to some neighbours, the dispute had been going on for a couple months.

“Since the beginning of summer police have been here, and it’s not just once, it’s 2 to 3 times every weekend,” Brine said.

Others in the neighbourhood believe more could have been going on and describe the shooting as a sudden and unexpected escalation.

“We found out after the fact he's a roommate of someone - we don't understand how bickering amongst neighbors could get to this point,” Wiebe said. “These are outspoken and caring people. These are not vicious, angry, violent people. They don't mind giving each other a piece of their mind. So feuding is one thing, but this is entirely something different. So there's a piece missing here, and I think that maybe, this story of escalating neighbor feud isn't accurate. We have an outlier here - we don’t know who Ricky Bilcke is.”

Meantime, anyone with video surveillance of the incident is asked to submit it to police online. “We are aware of numerous videos of the incident that have been posted to social media,” they said a media release. “Out of respect to the victims of this incident we ask that those videos be removed.”

‘I was shocked to find out it was him’

According to Brine, Bilcke was staying with her friend and her husband in their home, renting a room.

She said she would sometimes join Bilcke and her friends while they were sitting in their backyard.

“They're quiet people. We would sit, have fun, joke around. The loudest thing you would hear is our laughter.”

Brine said she got to know and spend time with Bilcke while he stayed at her friend’s home.

“So I was just absolutely like, shocked to find out that it was him because he was such an awesome guy. He always had a smile on his face and if you were upset, you could go and he'd give you a big hug and tell you jokes, make you smile. He was just a very easygoing person. The only thing that kind of put him back this summer was his engagement falling apart. So that was the only thing that really put him back.”

Brine said she was shocked by the escalation of events that took place that night.

“Nobody deserved to die, absolutely nobody. I don't think it should have come to this,” she said. “I can't say what was going through his head, I mean, I didn't know that there was guns there. I was just absolutely like, shocked to find out that it was him.”

‘Their lives are changed forever’

People who knew the victims are grappling with their emotions, as they try to make sense of what exactly happened on Thursday night.

“[He] took a shot from the shadows over there and killed Johnny sitting right over there,” an emotional Wiebe said. “I looked into the shadows of that dark field, and I felt fear and I thought, oh gosh, could that happen to me?”

Wiebe described his neighbours – Tokley, Bennett and Irvine – as “kind” and “loving.” He adds that now is the time to heal as a community.

“One thing that we're talking about is a holding some sort of vigil to really respect those that have passed away and those that have been injured. Our neighbors are still in critical condition. Their lives are changed forever. I'm hoping that we as a community can come together and can really focus on love and on light and not becoming victims of fear,” he said.