Father of murdered West Kelowna man still seeking answers

Photo: Tim Craig

Kenneth Craig

Six months on, Tim Craig still doesn't know why his son was murdered.

In the early morning hours of March 21, 2021, Kenneth Craig was gunned down on the side of Highway 97 in West Kelowna. Police shut down the entire highway for the morning as officers investigated the killing, but more than six months later, no arrests have been made.

From his home in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, father Tim Craig says he's frustrated by the apparent lack of progress police have made in the case. He says he hasn't heard any updates in the past three months.

“I'm frustrated and fed up ... I'll be damned if my son's going to die in vain,” Tim said. “It's just overwhelmingly disheartening and frustrating, just so many emotions.”

The killing is being investigated by the RCMP's Southeast District Major Crime Unit, but police would not comment on the status of the investigation by publication time.

Kenneth left behind two daughters aged 11 and 14, and his youngest celebrated her birthday last week.

“I talked to my granddaughter last weekend for her birthday and she misses her dad a lot,” Tim said. “She goes, 'Poppa, how come they shot my daddy?' How am I supposed to answer that?”

The day of the shooting, police told Castanet the incident had “the characteristics of a targeted shooting,” but Tim says the person who was with Kenneth when he was killed told him Kenneth didn't appear to know the shooter.

“They were out at night collecting bottles and cans ... these two guys kept following them, so Ken got off the bike and went up to these two guys and started talking to them,” Tim said, recounting what the witness told him. “And next thing you know this guy pulled out a gun and shot him point blank two times in the chest ... She doesn't think [Kenneth] knew them at all.”

Tim says he hadn't seen his son in over eight years, after Kenneth left the Maritimes to find construction work in Alberta. He moved to the Okanagan about two years ago, but he developed addiction issues and was living in a homeless shelter in West Kelowna.

“He lost his truck, he lost all his tools, he lost everything,” his father said. “I told him to come home about a year ago, and he says 'Dad, there's not much work there, I'm just going to stay here.'”

But Tim says police told him they don't believe the killing was related to the drug trade.

The Craigs were able to get their son's body back to P.E.I. in May, burying him close to home. But the murder, and their unanswered questions, have been devastating.

“People have no idea what my wife and daughter are going through. I only had two children, my daughter and my son, and now I just have my daughter,” Tim said.

“He had a lot of friends here who loved him so very much. He was a good ball player .... he loved to joke around with people and he always had a big smile on his face. He was very well loved here.”

Tim is urging anyone with information about his son's murder to call the West Kelowna RCMP at 250-768-2880, or anonymously through CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.