By paNOW

Brother of slain RCMP member reflects after Moncton shooting

Jun 6, 2014 | 11:33 AM

Howard Cameron has been keeping away from televisions ever since the Moncton tragedy took the life of three RCMP officers.

“As soon as I heard the news it brought back instant flashbacks of the time my sister was shot,” Cameron said.

His sister was Constable Robin Cameron, an RCMP officer for five years. In 2006, she was involved in a chase with Curtis Dagenais near Spiritwood. She and two other officers were responding to an assault call involving Dagenais at the time.

She was shot by a rifle.

He’s been keeping busy so the Moncton incident didn’t bring him back to negative feelings that followed that morning in 2006.

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“It was a shock, being woken up in that manner and hearing what happened to your sister. At first I didn’t think it was that bad, that serious. I thought maybe she got wounded in the arm or the leg or something like that,” Howard said.

He knew it was serious when his father broke down in the Saskatoon hospital where Robin was taken.

For a week the family stayed nearby, praying and processing their emotions about what happened.

When Robin succumbed to her injuries, there was another wave of shock.

“It just happened so sudden, and all this confusion and all this mass of confusion, and this whirlwind of emotions,” he said.

Anger was an initial emotion.

“But my dad is a very spiritual and traditional man and he always taught us not to let anger overcome you because it’s a full-time job to stay angry, but it’s a heck of a lot easier just to accept things and move forward,” Howard said.

Even keeping away from the details of the Moncton shooting, Howard has had thoughts related to it.

“I know what those families are going through and that trauma, all that, I don’t know, that situation that they have to go through now, it’s unfair,” he said. “Then I found out that they caught the man, I feel relieved but at the same time I still feel very sad and hurt for the families.”

His message to the families is to stay together because it helps you stay strong through tough times like this.

– With files from James Bowler

claskowski@panow.com

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk