Friends reflect on man shot by police
Jeff Hughes was into neo-Nazism but was also kind: Residents
Darrell Bellaart, The Daily News
Published: Monday, October 26, 2009
Neighbours say a man shot dead by police early Friday dabbled in neo-Nazism but also say he was kind and cared deeply about the environment.
Jeff Hughes, 48, lived alone in the ground-floor apartment where his body lay for nine hours after he was killed by a police officer just before 7 a.m.
He tinkered with computers from that apartment, which provided him a small income and allowed him to post messages on the Internet as "nish in exile" on Stormfront, a online white supremacist group.
Those who knew him described him as kind and caring. They say he never pushed racist views and say they worry that media reports of his involvement in white supremacy will tarnish his memory.
They remember him as a man who loved his dog and felt strongly about protecting the Earth.
While neighbours said they knew Hughes as a gun enthusiast and that he had guns and a Nazi flag in his apartment, details about exactly what happened on Friday morning remain unclear.
Witnesses who talked with the Daily News on Sunday said a loud party was keeping resident awake and Hughes became frustrated.
"He was a neo-Nazi but that had nothing to do with the incident," said Beverly Ecuimates. She said it all started at 1:20 a.m., when Hughes started yelling at a ground-floor resident.
"Everybody was fed up of the loud music every night," Ecuimates said.
"Jeff would back off the police," said neighbour Dana Wagg, who said Hughes battled mental illness. "Jeff didn't preach (neo-Nazism) to anyone but when he went off his meds he became more overt . . . . His political beliefs he kept to himself, he never once said anything to me."
Hughes became despondent two years ago when his 15-year-old mixed-breed German shepherd had to be put down due to bad hips. He was strongly against using recreational drugs and his neighbours considered him harmless.
She remembered him keeping recycling containers outside his Selby Street apartment until a manager made him move them inside his suite. He liked fixing computers, partly because it provided an income and also because it extended the life of electronic goods that could otherwise end up in the dump.
"He was very neat and clean," said Dino David, who said she knew Hughes well.
She did see a Nazi flag on his apartment wall and several guns. She didn't take his neo-Nazi interests seriously and wasn't concerned about in his guns.
David had no doubt that the officer who shot Hughes had no choice.
"They couldn't stop Jeff, he went off his rocker. This is just this one night. It was an ongoing thing for months here."
The police investigation is ongoing.
DBellaart@nanaimodailynews.com
© The Daily News (Nanaimo) 2009
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