Jeffrey Robert Arenburg was born on December 30, 1956, in Upper Northfield, Nova Scotia, Canada. He grew up in a farming family that raised cattle and sold produce. His early life was rooted in the countryside, where farming was the main occupation.

Jeffrey dropped out of school after completing the ninth grade. After leaving school, he worked as a scallop fisherman in Digby, Nova Scotia. This job was common in the coastal region, where fishing is an important industry. However, his life took a different turn when he began to experience mental health issues.

In the years leading up to 1990, Jeffrey showed signs of schizophrenia. He believed that his ex-wife and her family were involved in a conspiracy against him. He thought they were broadcasting his thoughts through radio and television. This belief caused him significant distress and confusion.

In 1990, Jeffrey caused a disturbance at a courthouse in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. He demanded an investigation into his claims. During this incident, he told authorities that his former in-laws were stealing his thoughts and selling them to Hollywood movie studios. He also claimed they were involved in drug trafficking and that the government was part of the plot against him.

After this disturbance, Jeffrey was hospitalized at the South Shore Regional Hospital. While there, he expressed his fears about the broadcasts and made threats about harming his in-laws if the broadcasts continued. Despite these threats, he asked to be discharged, and his request was granted.

In January 1992, Jeffrey confronted the manager of a local radio station, again citing messages he believed were being sent to him. He was convicted of assault in this incident but did not attend his trial. Instead, he left Bridgewater and moved to Ottawa. The local authorities decided not to pursue him further.

On August 1, 1995, Jeffrey Arenburg shot and killed sports anchor Brian Smith at the CJOH-TV station in Ottawa, Ontario. Arenburg parked his car about sixty meters from the studio, took a long-barreled .22-caliber rifle from his trunk, and fired two shots. One of the shots hit Smith, who was the first person Arenburg recognized as he left the building. Arenburg believed that the television station was sending messages into his mind.

After the shooting, police found a list of other media personalities in Arenburg's apartment. He had reportedly acted strangely in public before, being ejected from the city’s press club multiple times for demanding to see individuals on his list. He had also been turned away from the Parliament Buildings for similar reasons.

Arenburg was evaluated for his mental health and was found not criminally responsible for his actions. He was placed in mental health custody at the Oak Ridge Division of the Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene. This incident led to a discussion in Canada about gun control laws.

In 2001, the Ontario Review Board started to give Arenburg short-term releases. He applied for full release in 2004 and was granted an absolute discharge in November 2006. The board decided that he no longer posed a significant risk to the community.

On November 29, 2007, Arenburg was arrested for assaulting a U.S. customs officer at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, New York. He was denied entry into the United States because of his past criminal history. This led to a two-year jail sentence, and he was released on September 8, 2009.

By early 2014, Arenburg had moved back to Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, where he claimed to have recovered from mental illness. He later returned to Ottawa in November 2014, after saying he was forced out of Bridgewater. He was reported to be living in a shelter and waiting for disability payments.

Arenburg died on June 13, 2017, from a heart attack in Ottawa.