In the wake of Friday night’s fatal shooting at Overtime Sports Bar and Grill in Sudbury, friends of Joe Cabigon, 22, have been paying tribute to him.
Cabigon’s name has not been released by Greater Sudbury police, but numerous friends and loved ones have identified him as the victim in social media posts.
“Last night, a mother lost her son, a little brother lost his idol, numerous friends lost a best friend and confidant, my family lost a member of our clan, my pups lost their person and my daughter lost her first love,” one person posted.
“Our hearts have been broken by a senseless act of violence that can never be taken back.”
A few people took note of Cabigon’s smile, and he was credited with always bringing “a laugh and a smile in his back pocket in case you were having a bad day.”
“There wasn’t a single time I saw you there wasn’t a smile on your face,” another person wrote.
“He was the most selfless person ever,” friend Josh Gormley told Sudbury.com on Monday morning.
Still reeling from the death of his best friend, Gormley said he was at a loss for words, but wanted people to know about Cabigon’s uplifting character.
Cabigon knew what it felt like to be left out, so he made sure no one else felt that way, Gormley said, adding, “That’s what made him who he was.”
Cabigon was originally from Liloan, a municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. He relocated to Canada with his family approximately 10 years ago.
“I grew up with him when he moved to Canada and I watched him turn into the wonderful young man he has become,” Gormley said.
A 2020 story in The Sudbury Star noted that Cabigon was a Sudbury District Secondary Schools' Athletic Association athlete of the week, for leading the senior boys’ basketball team to a 5-2 regular-season record. He was also credited with being active in various other high school sports.
A friend posted to social media that Cabigon “always worked hard, trained and played hard when it came to (basketball). We only were good buds for a little while, not that long, but you made an impact on my life at one point, I think many can say the same.”
Cabigon’s dedication to athleticism carried forward after high school, with Jaydon Lozier, a manager at World Gym, getting to know him through his work at the fitness centre.
Lozier deferred comment about Cabigon to those who knew him better, but set up an online GoFundMe fundraiser to help Cabigon’s family. Someone did the same for his family in the past, and Lozier wanted to help out his late friend’s family.
As of mid-day Monday, the online fundraiser had raised more than $9,000 of its $12,000 goal.
“The last thing (Cabigon’s family) should have to worry about is how to pay for a funeral,” Lozier wrote. “There's no way to stop the pain everyone is feeling right now, but helping out with this is the least we can do.”
Greater Sudbury police are still looking for the suspect in Friday night’s shooting. The suspect’s grainy image was caught on security camera footage.
Police have declined to issue a description of the suspect beyond releasing his image due to conflicting information regarding his appearance.
“We continue to ask anyone with information related to the incident or to the individual pictured in the photos to contact our criminal investigation division,” a police spokesperson said this morning. As soon as more information is available, police will release a formal update via media release.
The shooting took place at approximately 10:30 p.m. during a verbal altercation involving multiple men, according to police.
Cabigon sustained serious, life-threatening injuries, and was taken to hospital by paramedics.
He succumbed to his injuries in hospital and was pronounced deceased by medical professionals.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
