The brother of one of the victims of Monday’s deadly shooting in Langley, British Columbia, says he had a tough life but worked hard to turn it around.
Paul Wynn, known to many in Langley as “Little Paul,” was shot to death around 3 a.m. outside Creek Stone Place, an assisted living facility on 201st Street. He had just turned 60.
“The housing association group, the one in Langley where he was shot and brutally killed, they saved his life,” Paul’s brother John Wynn told Global News in an emotional interview.
“He was not homeless. He had a beautiful home … he didn’t deserve to go out like this.”
Read more: ‘They wouldn’t hurt anybody’: Vigil for victims of Langley, BC shooting
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The Wynns grew up in the Whalley area of Surrey, where John said Paul excelled at school and was well known and liked.
“He was amazing. He was the God-child of our family. Everyone knew him. He’s been working hard since day one,” John said.
“He was just amazing. Everyone – “Oh, you want me to fix your engine? Boom, I’ll build you the engine. I’ll make you brakes. Everything. That’s how we were raised. To take care of other people.”
Paul eventually worked his way up to running a food delivery company, fathered a son and seemed “set for life,” John said.
That was before addiction tore his life apart.
1:04 Vigil for victims of Tuesday night’s shooting in Langley Vigil for victims of Tuesday night’s shooting in Langley
“That was it, his life changed. We tried everything to help him when he was living on the streets,” John said. “We lost touch with him and he lost everything he lived for.”
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The family reconnected with Paul in recent years and helped get him admitted to the Creek Stone facility about three years ago, where he stabilized and improved his life, John said.
“Everybody in this facility, he helped them all. Everyone loved him. Paul would give anything to help anyone. He was doing great, he was a poster child for sure,” he said.
“Of course, he would never be in the situation we are in because his brain is just destroyed, but he was still doing well, he was helping, he was disabled, he had a home, he had a kitchen, a shower, a bathroom, everything, just like us.”
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Read more: 3 dead, including suspect in Langley, BC shooting spree: Gunman identified
Many key questions remain about the shooting that killed Wynn, but police have identified the suspect as Jordan Daniel Goggin, 28.
Police believe Goggin shot his first victim, a woman, near the Cascades Casino around midnight. She remains in critical condition in hospital. Wynn was the second victim, followed by another fatal shooting at a bus stop in Langley around 5am
According to police, Goggin shot a man in the leg near the Langley Bypass and 200th Street before being engaged by police, who shot him.
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John said he learned of his brother’s death from the staff at Creek Stone Place. He said his brother, who was involved in various projects, was working on a garden when he was killed.
“This man came, spoke to my brother: “Do I know you? No, I don’t know you. He tried to enter the building. I couldn’t get into the building, I went to my brother and shot him point blank,” he said. “From what I hear, he literally emptied the entire magazine of his gun into my brother.”
2:03 Police appeal for witnesses to riot in Langley Police appeal for witnesses to riot in Langley
Homeless advocates told Global News that at least two of the victims were homeless, a possibility supported by personal belongings seen at the shooting sites.
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Around the time of the shooting, police issued an emergency alert suggesting the shooter was targeting “transients,” though police have not since said the shooter’s motive was to kill homeless people.
Read more: Langley shooting: Neighbors describe shooter as ‘off’ for the past week
John said he didn’t believe the killer was after the homeless, but instead suggested it “just clicked.”
“I think he was just on his couch one night, drinking too much or whatever, who knows what the story is, and he just got in his car and drove off,” he said.
“Whoever gets in his way. This is my opinion.”
In the wake of the tragic incident, John said the provincial government needs to “step up” and do more to help people with mental health issues.
He said he would also set up a mental health society in his brother’s name to try to fill some of the gaps in government services. Meanwhile, he’s left with memories, including the last voicemail Paul left him.
“I was kicking myself today, I deleted the message. I wish I never did. The saddest part is that I could have done more and been there for him more, but I didn’t. But if I keep holding this any longer, it will kill me more.
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-With files from Travis Prasad
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