A Collingwood man who no longer faces criminal charges in connection with the killing of two men who burst into his house more than two years ago is now desperately trying to rebuild his life.
“I was in shock. I thought I did something that any father would do,” said Cameron Gardiner, now 59. “And the next thing I know I’m sitting in a police station coffee room and they tell me to stand up, ‘you’re being charged for double murder.’”
On Jan. 22, 2019 three masked men burst into his home in a townhouse complex on Matthew Way. One was carrying a sawed-off shotgun.
According to court documents they were looking for marijuana and money in his son’s room on the second floor. Gardiner said he and his girlfriend were ordered onto the couch and restrained with zip ties and his dog was tied to him. They then asked where his son’s bedroom was and Gardiner said they headed upstairs.
While two searched the room and the third remained guarding the couple, the son arrived at the door and Gardiner said he feared he would be shot so he tore free of his restraints and gave the man with the gun an uppercut, which freed the gun from the captor’s hands.
“There was a fight for the weapon, because it was dropped, and two guys got killed, shot,” said Gardiner. Beyond that, Gardiner said he was advised to provide no further details about the shooting.
The third man, meanwhile, leaped out an upper floor window.
Hours later Gardiner said he found himself being charged with second-degree murder and lodged in jail where he spent the next six months. While there he received an eviction notice.
Last fall a Barrie judge reduced the charges to manslaughter following a preliminary hearing. And on Tuesday the Crown withdrew the charges announcing there was no reasonable prospect of conviction.
Finally free of the strict bail conditions Gardiner is able to return to Collingwood where “a couple of friends” have come to his aid. One sprang for a cellphone, another paid to activate it. And he’s now wearing donated clothing.
Otherwise, he said, he’s lost everything. His home with years of memories was cleared out when he was in jail. Most of his friends, other than the ones who are rallying by his side this week, abandoned him. His girlfriend left him. His son doesn’t talk to him.
“This whole thing destroyed everything for me,” said Gardiner.
Among his lost possessions are teeth which were in a cup in the house.
On the happy side, Gardiner said he was able to see his 12-year-old daughter on Wednesday and take her to a local restaurant.
“It was my first day of freedom,” he said.
One of his friends, Devon Mclean, has helped to launch a Gofundme campaign at www.gofund.me/e5e216ef in hopes of raising $15,000 to get Gardiner back on his feet, “get him a bed, some clothes on his back.” Nearly $2,500 was raised in the first 24 hours.
“But the main thing is his teeth,” said Mclean. “It’s just one step at a time.
“He’s the kind of person that if you’re down and out on your luck you could sleep on his couch.”
Gardiner said he’s on a disability pension for a previous medical condition but hopes to secure some light work once he finds a home of his own and gets out of his friend’s place.
“Eventually my daughter would love to live with me,” he said. “I’m just glad to be alive.”
