Victim in Little Burnt Bay shooting was related to accused shooter, police say

Ricky Nelson Wareham has been charged with manslaughter in connection to the shooting death of 36-year-old Kenny Wareham. (Troy Turner/CBC)

The victim from Sunday night's shooting in Little Burnt Bay is someone whose neighbour is remembering as a kind man and that the community will be feeling the loss of for years.

"It's not sunk in yet. I was just talking to him the day before, he was up on the roof, cleaning his chimney," said Herma Baker, who lives on Maple Street where the shooting took place.

She and Wareham were neighbours as well as cousins.

On Sunday the RCMP responded to reports of a shooting at a home on Maple Street. When officers arrived they found a man dead, Cpl. Jolene Garland told reporters on Tuesday.

Ricky Nelson Wareham, a 57-year-old man from Ontario, was arrested and charged with manslaughter, Garland said.

CBC News has learned the victim was 36-year-old Kenny Wareham, a lifelong resident of the community and related to the alleged shooter.

Baker said Wareham was friendly, outgoing and that everyone in the community knew him. She said he would plow her driveway in the winter.

"It's just the type of fellow that he was, right. If you needed something and he had it, you could have it," said Baker.

She said she is still struggling to understand how Wareham was killed in what she called a senseless act, especially given how young he was.

Herma Baker says she knew Kenny Wareham his entire life and says his death is shocking. (Troy Turner/CBC)

"He's got a little girl that he dotes on. He loves his daughter. She's not going to understand why this happened or why her dad is not around. She's only a little girl," said Baker.

She said she spoke with Wareham almost everyday and now it will be strange to walk by his home and not see him there.

She was also surprised something a shooting happened in the small town with a population of just over 230.

"Here in Little Burnt Bay, I mean, you know everybody. So you wouldn't think people in the town, that you know, would be capable of this," she said.

Baker said she also knows the accused, Ricky Nelson Wareham, calling him a "troubled person" who spent years in prison.

She anticipates it will take time for the community to heal.

"I'm glad the guy that done it is caught and he's going — hopefully — [to] get his time in prison for what he's done," she said.

However, Baker said it won't bring Wareham back.

Accused had criminal record

Garland said Ricky Nelson Wareham was located soon after police arrived at the Maple Street home on Sunday night and was taken into custody. On Monday he was charged with manslaughter.

Ricky Nelson Wareham was due in provincial court on Tuesday afternoon and the matter was set over to Wednesday.

No one else was in the home at the time of the shooting, said Garland.

RCMP Cpl. Jolene Garland says people can expect a bigger police presence in Little Burnt Bay. (Troy Turner/CBC)

She also said Ricky Nelson Wareham has a criminal record in Ontario and a request for those documents has been made.

She said homicides are not frequent in the province.

"So something like this undoubtedly, you know, has shaken people to the core. Probably instilled fear in some residents," said Garland.

"There is no current risk to public safety."

The investigation is being carried about by the RCMP major crimes unit and assisted by the local detachment. The RCMP is asking for people to come forward with information to piece together what led to the shooting, like overheard conversations or suspicious activity.

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