Jeffrey Arenburg
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Arenburg is a Canadian
gunman, who shot and killed broadcaster Brian Smith in Ottawa
on August 1, 1995.
Arenburg, a paranoid schizophrenic, had gone to Smith's employer, CJOH
, because he thought the station was broadcasting messages in his head. Smith was the first broadcast personality that Arenburg saw and recognized coming out of the building.
Following the shooting, police found a list of other Ottawa media personalities in Arenburg's apartment, and an official at the city's press club noted that he had previously ejected Arenburg from the club three times for loudly demanding to see various people on his list. He had also been turned away from the Parliament Buildings several times.
Before moving to Ottawa, Arenburg had been a scallop
fisherman in Nova Scotia
. He had physically assaulted a radio station manager in Bridgewater
in 1992, again citing messages being broadcast in his head. Arenburg was found guilty of assault and fined $300 or two weeks in jail in the earlier incident, but never showed up for his trial. He had already skipped town and moved to Ottawa; the authorities in Bridgewater decided that it was not worth their while to track him down.
Arenburg was found not criminally responsible in Smith's death, due to his mental condition. He was remanded to the Oak Ridge Division of Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene. Smith's murder led to renewed calls in Canada for strengthening of the government's gun control
legislation.
In 2001, the Ontario Review Board began to grant Arenburg 72-hour release. He applied for full conditional release in 2004.
As of June 2005 he had been living in the Barrie area with his brother since March 2003, and had recently graduated from a community college.
The Ontario Review Board granted Arenburg an absolute discharge from the Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene in November 2006. According to CFRA
, the board heard that he no longer poses a significant risk to the community and no longer suffers from the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia.
On November 29, 2007, Arenburg was arrested after punching a U.S. customs
officer in the head Buffalo, New York
at the Peace Bridge
International Crossing. According to officials, Arenburg attempted to enter the United States on a commercial vehicle as a passenger and was denied entry due to past criminal convictions. He was subsequently jailed for 2 years.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
gunman, who shot and killed broadcaster Brian Smith in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
on August 1, 1995.
Arenburg, a paranoid schizophrenic, had gone to Smith's employer, CJOH
CJOH-TV
CJOH-DT is a television station serving Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the surrounding region. Owned by Bell Media, it is part of the CTV Television Network....
, because he thought the station was broadcasting messages in his head. Smith was the first broadcast personality that Arenburg saw and recognized coming out of the building.
Following the shooting, police found a list of other Ottawa media personalities in Arenburg's apartment, and an official at the city's press club noted that he had previously ejected Arenburg from the club three times for loudly demanding to see various people on his list. He had also been turned away from the Parliament Buildings several times.
Before moving to Ottawa, Arenburg had been a scallop
Scallop
A scallop is a marine bivalve mollusk of the family Pectinidae. Scallops are a cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans. Many scallops are highly prized as a food source...
fisherman in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. He had physically assaulted a radio station manager in Bridgewater
Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
Bridgewater is a town in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada, at the navigable limit of the LaHave River. It is the largest town in the South Shore region. While the majority of the South Shore's economy is based upon the tourist trade, Bridgewater is more a commercial and industrial centre and...
in 1992, again citing messages being broadcast in his head. Arenburg was found guilty of assault and fined $300 or two weeks in jail in the earlier incident, but never showed up for his trial. He had already skipped town and moved to Ottawa; the authorities in Bridgewater decided that it was not worth their while to track him down.
Arenburg was found not criminally responsible in Smith's death, due to his mental condition. He was remanded to the Oak Ridge Division of Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene. Smith's murder led to renewed calls in Canada for strengthening of the government's gun control
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
legislation.
In 2001, the Ontario Review Board began to grant Arenburg 72-hour release. He applied for full conditional release in 2004.
As of June 2005 he had been living in the Barrie area with his brother since March 2003, and had recently graduated from a community college.
The Ontario Review Board granted Arenburg an absolute discharge from the Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene in November 2006. According to CFRA
CFRA (AM)
CFRA is a Conservative talk radio station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owned by Bell Media. The station broadcasts at 580 kHz on the AM band.-History:...
, the board heard that he no longer poses a significant risk to the community and no longer suffers from the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia.
On November 29, 2007, Arenburg was arrested after punching a U.S. customs
United States Customs Service
Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...
officer in the head Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
at the Peace Bridge
Peace Bridge
The Peace Bridge is an international bridge between Canada and the United States at the east end of Lake Erie at the source of the Niagara River, about upriver of Niagara Falls. It connects the City of Buffalo, New York, in the United States to the Town of Fort Erie, Ontario, in Canada...
International Crossing. According to officials, Arenburg attempted to enter the United States on a commercial vehicle as a passenger and was denied entry due to past criminal convictions. He was subsequently jailed for 2 years.