John Harvey Hibbs
Sackville, NS / Oct. 3, 2004
On the night of October 2/3 2004, police received a 911 call from an apartment block in Lower Sackville reporting an assault in progress. When officers arrived at the scene they found 58-year-old John Harvey Hibbs lying on the ground beside his car. Paramedics briefly revived the victim but he died in hospital between 2 and 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
A witness told police that a 49-year-old resident of the apartment had berated Hibbs for pulling up in front of the wrong address. An argument continued after the man entered the taxi and Hibbs ultimately refused to drive him. Hibbs got out of the cab and as he approached the passenger-side door the man emerged and punched him "a couple of times" in the face. Hibbs fell to the ground, striking his head against the car. The man straddled Hibbs to hit him again but stopped when he realized his victim was unconscious.
A three-kilometre long funeral procession followed Hibbs to the cemetery. About 150 people attended a benefit auction to raise money for funeral expenses.
Meanwhile about 30 friends and family of Hibbs's assailant attended the preliminary hearing. The man's mother and another relative put up their homes to ensure his release on bail. The man had no previous criminal record. Trial was set for April, 2005.
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