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 Mr. Hibbs for pulling up in front of the wrong address. An argument continued after the man entered the taxi and Mr. Hibbs ultimately refused to drive him. Mr. 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. Mr. Hibbs fell to the ground, striking his head against the car. The man straddled Mr. Hibbs to hit him again but stopped when he realized his victim was unconscious. A three-kilometre long funeral procession followed Mr. Hibbs to the cemetery. About 150 people attended a benefit auction to raise money for funeral expenses. Meanwhile about 30 friends and family of Mr. 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. His trial for manslaughter was set for April, 2005.

John Harvey Hibbs. (Source: CBC News) Mr. Hibbs drove for Satellite Taxi in Sackville for 14 years. Prior to that he worked as a miner for Inco in Windsor and Sudbury. He was survived by his wife, five adult children, two adult stepchildren, six grandchildren, five brothers and four sisters. His passion was gardening.