SHOOTING SHOCK
Popular nurse, hockey coach and married father of two gunned down in his driveway
A man shot to death outside a Surrey home was a father and husband who coached kids on the ice and cared for patients at his day job.
Paul Bennett, 47, died of gunshot wounds after a shooting in his driveway in the 18200-block 67A Avenue at around 4 p.m. Saturday.
Bennett coached nine- to 11-year-olds with the Cloverdale Titans Atom C team last season. His death has sent his hockey family reeling, said Cloverdale Minor Hockey Association president Marty Jones.
“He was a huge part of our community and touched a lot of lives,” Jones said. “There’s been a lot of tears today.”
Bennett, who has been an assistant coach or coach with the association for five years, had a knack with the kids and was a fun presence on and off the ice, said Jones, whose son was coached by Bennett last year.
“He knew how to get things out of them. He didn’t measure success on how many goals you scored but on your effort level. The kids loved being in the rink with him.”
Bennett led the Titans team, which started off as “a bit of a ragtag crew,” to a firstplace finish last season, winning the championship game in Squamish in a shootout.
Bennett’s death also sent shock waves through Peace Arch Hospital where he worked as a nurse.
“A well-respected and loved Peace Arch Hospital staff member passed away over the weekend,” Fraser Health said in a statement. “He was a passionate advocate for patients and patient care. The circumstances of his passing are incredibly tragic and our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
Bennett was the father of two boys. His wife works as a nurse at Vancouver Coastal Health, according to her Facebook profile.
“He was proud of his kids and proud of what he has accomplished in life and of his family,” Jones said, adding the association will reach out to Bennett’s family to support them and share what their husband and dad meant to the hockey community.
On Sunday, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team released Bennett’s name to the public in hopes of getting clues to help determine motive for the shooting.
“We are releasing Mr. Bennett’s name in an effort to determine his activities and who he may have had contact with leading up to the shooting,” said IHIT spokesman Cpl. Frank Jang. “We need those with information about this murder to come forward and speak with IHIT.”
The homicide team says it is still early in the investigation, but it believes the shooting was not random.
“It’s an absolute mystery,” said Jones. “I knew of no one who spoke ill of him. We’re praying there’s some cameras that caught a glimpse of something.”
According to neighbours, Bennett was “a regular person” who did not appear to have ties to gangs or drug dealers, said Gurpreet Singh Sahota, organizer of Wake Up Surrey.
“The neighbours are in great shock,” he said.