I didn't know the man, I only spoke to him a couple of times in passing. I watched him play Shannon 2 or 3 years ago at Derby in the banks. Shannon had been steamrolling right along and was very confident in how he was playing. Mike played exceptionally and beat Shannon pretty soundly. After the match I was talking to Shannon and he said "that guy is a player, and a real gentleman in our sport". It seem she was held in pretty high regards by many.
I have never heard anyone speak badly of Mike and that is a big testament to anyone in the pool world. I hope they find out what happened and some form of justice prevails.