A friend of a Labrador man killed last week in Nova Scotia says John Lampe should be remembered as a gentleman who showed kindness and patience during decades of work with Inuit organizations in this province.

Lampe, 58, was found dead last Thursday in the hallway of an apartment building in Halifax.

Police identified a suspect, a 20-year-old man who was found seriously injured on a nearby street, but they have not laid charges.

"It was very traumatic. It was very devastating to me and people who knew him," Lela Evans told Labrador Morning.

"John was a great man. He was a great person, and it was his kindness and his caring and his friendship that made him great," she said.

Evans wrote a Facebook post as a tribute to Lampe, because she wanted people to know more about him.

"It was like a void out there. He was gone, and no one was talking about it. And as soon as people found out and they had a venue to comment and pay their tributes, they did."

Lampe was born in Hopedale. He lived in Nain and worked as a teacher for four years before taking a job with the Labrador Inuit Association, where he worked for two decades.

"He was land claims director. He was also special assistant to the president, and later became economic development advisor, and then he also worked with the Northern Contaminants Program as well," said Evans.

He went on to become the Inuit research advisor and procurement officer with the Nunatsiavut government.

"The whole world could be falling down, or the deadlines could be passing you by or something that was supposed to be in place is not done and John would just be there. He'd be very calm and patient," said Evans.

The two shared "friendships, laughs, support, ... and now that's gone," she said.

"People like that, who are such wonderful people, you always expect them to be there."

Lampe has a son and stepdaughter, and Evans said people will support them because "family was the most important thing to him."

She said people are shocked by the circumstances of his death, and feel they have very little information about what happened.

Halifax Regional Police are asking people who were in or near the apartment building where Lampe was killed to contact them.