Residents of an encampment in Kingston, Ont., say the two men who were killed there last week didn’t see eye to eye, nor even like each other very much, but that didn’t stop one from running to the other’s aid when the violence broke out.
Their friends say that willingness to stand up for one another despite their differences shows what kind of people the victims were, and what kind of community had formed among those living in the tents and makeshift shelters where the deadly attack occurred.
“That’s why it was them that it happened to, because they stuck their necks out so everybody else wouldn’t get hurt,” said Mathew Jeffrey, who knew both victims.
“I’ve just cried and cried and cried. I couldn’t stop crying.”
Taylor Wilkinson, 38, and John Hood, 41, were killed in a spree of violence near Montreal Street and the Belle Park encampment on Sept. 12. An unnamed woman remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Witnesses said a knife and hammer were used in the attacks.
Andre Wareham, 47, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
Nearly a week later, a temporary fence still surrounds the Integrated Care Hub (ICH) and much of the encampment that grew around it.
The fence has been transformed into a memorial with photos of the two men who died, framed by messages of love and loss written in pen and permanent marker and flanked by flowers and candles.
Hood was known as “Hobbin” around the encampment, according to Jeffrey, who said the two first met as kids.
“I have seen him go up and help people that he didn’t even get along with, and they were doing so bad that they had … such dirty clothes and he had, like, maybe $60 left to his name, and he went and spent that on clothes and groceries for them,” Jeffrey recalled. “He was a huge heart.”
Jeffrey said he didn’t know Wilkinson as well, but had seen the 38-year-old spend his own money on breakfast from Tim Hortons to make sure others had something to eat.
Jeffrey said he was in the basement of the ICH when the attacks happened and ran outside to find the two men on the ground. Blood was splattered on a nearby tent.
He said Hobbin told him and others who gathered around him after the attack that he didn’t think he was going to survive.
“This has really screwed me up,” said Jeffrey. “I was so scared.”
Risking his life to save another
Ashley Larocque, who said she was also close with Hobbin, described him as a protector and the kind of person you could talk to about anything.
“He was my best friend,” she said. “I’m so lost.”
Chrystal Garrity said both of the victims were “incredibly selfless,” adding their deaths have been a shock.
The women said despite their differences, Wilkinson ran out to help Hobbin when he was attacked.
“They weren’t close at all, and Taylor risked his life to try to save Hobbin,” said Larocque.
WATCH | Friends say Kingston attack victims were selfless, caring people
Mathew Jeffrey, Ashley Larocque and Chrystal Garrity all described two people who were generous and caring. Taylor Wilkinson and John Hood, who was known as “Hobbin” around the encampment, were killed in an attack on Sept. 12.
Wareham, the accused, was also familiar to those at the encampment, though he didn’t live there.
Court documents from Thunder Bay show his arrest last week wasn’t the first time Wareham has been accused in a homicide: He was charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a neighbour in 2009.
He was ultimately found not guilty in that case, CBC reported in 2012. The current charges against him have not been tested in court.
Jeffrey said he knew Wareham had a history with the law, but they typically got along well.
“We had our ins and outs, you know, but through and through, he was a good guy,” Jeffrey said.
Several people told CBC they believe Wareham was struggling in his personal life and with addictions at the time of the attacks.
‘It should never be forgotten’
Police continue to investigate what happened, and said the violence has “impacted the community immensely.”
In the meantime, officers will remain at the scene and no one will be allowed in, including encampment residents.
Investigators said they’re aware people’s personal belongings are on the other side of the fence and are working “quickly and diligently to process the scene.”
8:35Advocates say Kingston encampment residents should be allowed to access their belongings
Police have maintained a cordon around the premises following a double homicide nearby, leaving the future of the encampment up in the air.
Meanwhile, Jeffery and the others who knew the men who died are struggling to come to grips with their grief.
If the encampment doesn’t reopen, he suggested the place where the men died should remain fenced off as a monument to them.
“It should never be forgotten,” he said. “They were both such amazing guys. All they wanted to do was help and give.”