Former Halifax Rainmen player Tyler Richards ID’d homicide victim

Former Halifax Rainmen basketball player, 29-year-old Tyler Richards, has been identified as the victim of a homicide in Halifax on Sunday.

Richards’ body was discovered in a west-end home at about 8 p.m. Sunday. On Monday officials ruled the death a homicide.

Halifax Regional Police confirmed Tyler Richards as the victim Monday night, although earlier in the day, his former coach, St. Francis Xavier X-Men head coach Steve Konchalski told Global News that it was Richards.

Konchalski said the loss of the former athlete is a tragic one.

“Well, I’m losing a personal friend and a young man who we had great hopes for in terms of being a positive contributing member of society,” he said.

“He certainly had the potential to do that, obviously he went off the tracks somewhere along the line, that’s a real tragedy.”

Konchalski said Richards will be sorely missed by both the basketball community and his family.

“It’s just a tragic loss and I mean the bottom line is that you know, we’ve lost a young man who had great potential to be a positive member of society … a mother has lost a son, and a young child has lost her father.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's just a tragic loss and I mean the bottom line is that you know, we've lost a young man who had great potential to be a positive member of society … a mother has lost a son, and a young child has lost her father."

Storied criminal history

Richards has a criminal history dating back to 2009, involving several drug and assault charges.

Most recently, Richards was arrested in a major drug bust on March 23.

Police arrested him and two others at a traffic stop, seizing a large amount of cocaine, cannabis resin and cellphones.

All three were charged with cocaine trafficking.

In 2013, the former point guard was suspended from the Rainmen team after being charged with assault.

Richards was accused of  assaulting a woman at a bar in downtown Halifax.

A couple of days later, he was also charged with drug and weapons offences after cocaine, marijuana and a loaded gun were found in his home.

“Tyler Richards was not a demon … any time you had an interaction with him, I can certainly speak for myself and for my family, he was very pleasant, you know, a very upbeat person,” Konchalski said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Tyler Richards was not a demon … any time you had an interaction with him, I can certainly speak for myself and for my family, he was very pleasant, you know, a very upbeat person," Konchalski said.

Richards played with the X-Men from 2004-2009 before joining the Rainmen. He was a four-time AUS basketball all star.

Halifax police remained on the scene at Cook Ave. Tuesday morning.

The investigation is being led by the Homicide Unit of the Integrated Criminal Investigation Division.

There is no word on whether police have identified a suspect. Police are asking anyone with information to call 902-490-5016. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or submitting a secure tip online.