Witness Memory Fails in Windsor Mass Shooting Trial: 'I Didn't See It'
A crucial Crown witness in the ongoing attempted murder trial for a mass shooting outside a Windsor bowling alley delivered testimony that contradicted his earlier statements to authorities, claiming he could not recall who fired the gunshots that injured five people in April 2022.
Contradictory Testimony Under Oath
Andrew Meloche, who had previously identified Fernando Ratcliffe as the gunman to police and prosecutors, told Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas on Tuesday that he could not remember whether Ratcliffe was the shooter. "I remember hearing shots, yes. I remember my ears ringing … I couldn't tell you exactly who shot the firearm," Meloche testified, directly undermining his prior accounts.
The incident occurred shortly after 1 a.m. on April 9, 2022, outside Super Bowl Lanes bowling alley in Windsor. According to court proceedings, Meloche was seated next to Ratcliffe, 26, in the back row of a vehicle that drove past a crowd when seven shots were fired, striking and injuring five individuals.
Intoxication and Memory Clouding
Meloche attributed his hazy recollection to significant intoxication at the time of the shooting. He testified that he had consumed cocaine, Xanax, and alcohol throughout the day prior to arriving at the bowling alley. "I'm drunk and high and I just got jumped," Meloche stated, referring to a physical altercation inside the establishment involving his group of friends, which led to the business closing early that night.
He further described how he and his stepbrother Joshua Fryer were "jumped" by strangers inside the bowling alley, adding to his disoriented state during the subsequent shooting. This combination of substances and physical confrontation, Meloche argued, severely clouded his memory of the events.
Prosecution's Puzzling Questioning
Under questioning by deputy Crown attorney Bryan Pillon, Meloche initially stated he "didn't see anybody grab a gun and shoot or anything" while in the truck and emphasized, "I didn't witness it with my own eyes." However, when pressed directly about who fired the shots, Meloche identified Ratcliffe.
This prompted Pillon to ask pointedly, "If you didn't see it, how can you say it was him?" Meloche responded by referencing a sworn statement he had signed as part of a plea deal, which included his identification of Ratcliffe as the shooter. "I'm just going to what I signed here," he explained, adding, "Personally, this was all written up, and I signed it to get out of jail. I didn't see it with my own eyes."
Legal Context and Charges
Fernando Ratcliffe is currently on trial before Justice Thomas facing seven criminal charges, including five counts of attempted murder for the shooting. Meloche and Fryer were originally charged with five counts of attempted murder as well but saw those charges dropped when they pleaded guilty in March 2025 to a single count each of occupying a motor vehicle knowing a restricted weapon was inside. Both received eight-month conditional sentences in April of that year.
Justice Thomas intervened during Meloche's testimony to clarify, "So when you said you agreed that Fernando shot, is that because that's what it says in the statement?" This line of questioning highlights the potential conflicts between sworn statements and courtroom testimony, raising questions about the reliability of witness accounts in this high-stakes trial.
The trial continues as the court seeks to unravel the events of that violent night, with witness credibility emerging as a central issue. The outcome may hinge on how jurors weigh Meloche's contradictory statements against other evidence presented in the case.
