HALIFAX -- A friend describes 26-year-old Brandon Polegato as a great family man and an aspiring musician.
Since high school, whenever Jacob Cuvelier was having a tough time, Polegato would take him to a spot overlooking the ocean where Polegato wanted to build a house some day. They would sit, talk, and share ambitions.
This past weekend, Polegato was found dead in the hallway of an apartment building on Washmill Lake Drive after being killed.
"It’s a complete tragedy," said Cuvelier. "He was an amazing, amazing father, amazing friend, brother of mine, brother to so many people."
Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. John MacLeod said Polegato died of gunshot wounds.
Police wouldn’t say whether anyone has been arrested or taken into custody for questioning.
"We don’t believe this incident to be a random event at this point," MacLeod said. "As far as the details in the investigation, because it’s still the ongoing investigation, we’re unable to provide those details."
Polegato was an aspiring hip-hop artist.
Cuvelier calls him a deceivingly good athlete who was working a number of jobs and hoping to own his own business one day.
"He was that guy to just lift your mood when you were going through something in your personal life," Cuvelier said.
Polegato died on the same block as his good friend Shakur Jeffries, who was killed in 2016.
Cuvelier calls it a tragic coincidence.
"That’s two very close friends of mine, himself and Shakur, that are no longer with me to give me that lift because both of them did that so well," Cuvelier said.
Cuvelier knows all too well how some people will attack his friend on social media.
"By assuming it’s some kind of gang affiliation killing and that is not the case at all with Brandon," said Cuvelier.
