Slain gangster planned to escape life of crime, father says

Jim Widdifield's son Craig was murdered in a daylight gang shooting outside a Steve Nash Fitness Centre in Surrey. The grieving father is releasing a song in hopes of preventing futher tragedies. June 27, 2013. (CTV)

Slain gangster Craig Widdifield confided plans to escape his life of crime just days before he was publicly executed outside a Surrey gym, his grieving father told CTV News.

The 28-year-old was gunned down in a brazen daylight murder outside a Steve Nash Fitness Centre on April 24, leaving behind a wife and young child.

Just three days earlier, he’d taken the family to his parents’ home for dinner, where he told his dad Jim Widdifield he was ready to break away from the toxic gang lifestyle and open his own business.

“It was the happiest I’d seen him in probably a year, two years,” Widdifield said. “I’m starting a new business, he says, and I’m hoping to pick up a piece of property closer to you and mom and build a house.”

But the young gangster, described by police as a prominent player with connections throughout B.C., was too late. One witness who was standing less than 20 feet away from the murder said it appeared brutally targeted, with one bullet aimed directly at Widdifield’s face.

His father, who was only vaguely aware of Widdifield’s criminal lifestyle, said he’d tried repeatedly to convince his son to go straight.

He said Widdifield wanted to leave, but seemed unable to walk away from the easy money the illegal drug trade offered; before he was killed, he drove a Mercedes and lived in a million-dollar home in White Rock.

“All the trappings he got, which he thought would make him happy, made him less happy,” he said. “Look at my son now: all the stuff he had means nothing to him.”

The day after he learned about his son’s death, Jim Widdifield began writing a song in his memory. In 10 minutes, the lyrics and music were complete. The father believes his son was passing the tune through him.

He recorded the song with help from local musicians, with proceeds going directly to the charity Save the Children Canada.

He also hopes it will inspire people whose loved ones are involved with gangs to intervene while they can.

“If they know somebody in the situation that my son was in, and if they know people that are thinking of taking retribution, talk to them. Talk them out of it,” Widdifield said.

“[Gang life] is a very easy thing to get into. It’s a very hard thing to get out of.”

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team told CTV News there is no update on the murder. Widdifield said he’s hopeful that police will arrest a suspect in his son’s death, but he’s trying not to hold ill-will against the shooter.

“Somewhere, sometime in his life something has happened to him that has taken him to the point where he’d want to take somebody else’s life. I just pray for forgiveness and I hope he sees the error of his ways and can somehow atone for it.”

Click here to donate to Save the Children or download the song 'Gone Gone Gone'

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Lisa Rossington