'Very hard to keep moving forward ': No arrests, charges 4 years after Surrey father's murder
“I feel so bad for Paul. He deserved so much better.” Those are the words of Surrey widow Darlene Bennett, still grieving the murder of her husband four years ago in what police have said was a case of mistaken identity.
It was June 23, 2018 when Paul Bennett, the father of two young boys, was gunned down in the driveway of his home.
“We were there. The boys saw Paul. I did CPR on Paul,” said Darlene.
“The kids should still have him. They should still have their dad. They need him and he’s not there,” Darlene said, explaining that the horror of what happened is still emotionally crushing.
“My brain still will take me to that day and it’s very difficult to stop. And I wish it would.”
Paul Bennett, a nurse and volunteer hockey coach, was not the intended target on that tragic day.
“Why? I still can’t wrap my head around that, mistaken identity….You can take someone’s life and it’s not even the right person?” she said.
“It makes me very angry, and it makes me sad because I don’t want this to happen to other people and it does…No one needs to go through this. No one.”Paul and Darlene Bennett are shown in a family photo.
Video surveillance captured just before the shooting showed a car pull up and a dark figure run from the passenger side and then return a short time later. Police will not say if the car was ever located.
No one has ever been charged in the murder.
“I can only keep that hope that there’s answers one day,” Darlene said.
“It’s very hard to keep moving forward when you keep feeling like there’s something still waiting to hit you, like unfinished business and you just wonder when it’s going to drop,” she explained.
Darlene Bennett looks at a photo of her husband Paul who was killed in the driveway of their Surrey home in 2018. No one has been charged with the killing.
The Integrated Homicide Investigations Team declined an interview, saying it could jeopardize the integrity of the investigation.
“I understand that the public is looking for answers as is Darlene Bennett and her family/friends. There has been comparisons with the timelines on this file versus others. All I can say is that investigations are unique and timelines are not an indication of solvability or complexity,” wrote a spokesperson in an email.
Meanwhile, Darlene said she and her boys had to move from their family home as it was a constant reminder of the killing.
Paul Bennett is shown in an undated photo released by IHIT.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
New charges for Ont. woman who previously admitted to defrauding doulas
The Brantford, Ont. woman who was previously sentenced to house arrest after admitting to deceiving doulas has been charged again in connection to a new victim.