A San Francisco shopkeeper, Yowhannes Tewolde, was honored at a vigil after he was murdered by a robber for trying to stop a theft in his store, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The candlelight vigil, held on Thursday night, was characterized by “laughter, songs and a commitment to keep Tewolde’s memory alive,” the Chronicle wrote. But it was also carried through by “cries for accountability” after the shopkeeper’s death.
Tewolde, who was also called “John” by locals, was beaten with a baseball bat after he tried to stop a robber in his store. The San Francisco police have yet to identify a suspect for the murder.
“Some of us are so sad,” Drew Min, the vigil’s organizer said. “Some of us are so angry. Some of us feel hopeless and some of us feel empowered.”
Min continued: “We’re here grieving together. This may have been John’s last gift to us.”
The Chronicle reported that Supervisor Connie Chan, who attended the vigil, sent a letter to Mayor London Breed and other city officials after Tewolde was “initially hospitalized.”
Chan did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
“[He is a] loyal, trustworthy person,” the shopkeeper’s daughter, Meron Tewolde, told CBS News Bay Area. “He treated that store like it was his. It makes no sense why he would try to stop the guy. If that was me, I would have let him steal whatever he wanted to steal. But my dad has such honor.”
The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) released an announcement Saturday describing a “60-year-old male victim” who was left on the ground “unconscious” and was later brought to a hospital, where he died from “life-threatening injuries.” Tewolde’s daughter, Meron, later told CBS News Bay Area that her father “had died from his injuries.”
The SFPD has not yet responded to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Residents at Tewolde’s vigil recounted their favorite memories of the store owner.
“That’s one of the things I got from him: learning how to help, how to love, how to care and sometimes just listen,” Sylvester Brown said, according to the Chronicle.
Others said they remember Tewolde smiling at them and bidding them “goodnight” before they left the store for home.
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