Cabbie Adib Ibrahim, a balding and heavyset man in casual clothing, barely spoke during a brief court appearance Tuesday. He identified himself and then looked down, not acknowledging his supporters in court. The judge, who granted a publication ban on proceedings, set the matter over to 22-May. A young lawyer appearing on behalf of Mr. Ibrahim’s counsel, Barry Fox, said she could not comment.   

Police at the scene of a fatal accident between a taxi and a young man on a skateboard in downtown Toronto May 14, 2012. (Ernest Doroszuk/QMI Agency)

 A second-degree murder charge means that Mr. Ibrahim is alleged to have been reckless and intentionally caused bodily harm. The collision occurred on the westbound side of King Street, between Jarvis and George streets. Mr. Bissonnette was struck at about 6 p.m. by a silver-coloured cab. Part of his broken skateboard and a backpack remained on the curb while the scene was cordoned off. What was initially treated as a traffic incident took a different turn as police began questioning witnesses. “The information that came to light, it became pretty apparent that there was potential intention to the collision,” said a police spokeswoman, Constable Wendy Drummond. Homicide investigators then took over the case and filed the charge Tuesday morning.   

Mr. Bissonnette most recently worked as a chef de partie, a line-cooking post at the Rosewater Supper Club. He grew up in Coaticook, in the Eastern Township region southeast of Montreal. For the last decade, he had been working in professional kitchens, a career that took him to Quebec City and San Diego before he settled in Toronto. “It’s a big city but he was adapting well,” his mother, Louise, said. “RIP cousin. Even though you were elsewhere in the world, we thought about you, big boy,” a cousin, Steven, wrote on Facebook.   

“It’s possible (this was a case of road rage),” Sgt. Mario Teixeira said Monday night before charges were laid. “It’s contingent on what witnesses saw. Charges are contingent on the investigation in the next few hours. (Road rage) is definitely an angle we’re considering.” Tuesday morning police announced a second-degree murder charge had been laid against the driver, Adib Ibrahim, 43, of Toronto.   

A skateboard broken in two pieces lay next to the curb, which was covered with blood. A black backpack believed to belong to the victim was also seen on the sidewalk.  Gary Moore, 58, said the driver of a streetcar he was about to get on to appeared visibly shaken. He said the cab driver veered onto the curb.   

“(The skateboarder) cut him off or something. He was enraged and was screaming at the guy.” Another witness said he saw the skateboarder riding on the sidewalk.  “About 15 minutes later, I went back and saw police closed off the intersection,” he said.  Another man said he had to look away from the grisly scene.
“I knew right away he was dead. His face was indented into the curb, part of his head was just missing. It was disgusting,” said Filip Dujic, 18, who arrived at the scene a few minutes later.