On August 24, Yowhannes “John” Tewelde, a 60-year-old store clerk at Richmond Market in San Francisco, was assaulted during an attempted theft at around 9:30 pm.
Surveillance footage from the Balboa Street store shows the thief returning ten minutes after an initial theft of bottled water to steal two beers. Tewelde tried to prevent the theft using a baseball bat but the robber grabbed the bat and beat Tewelde into a coma. He suffered a severe head injury and underwent two surgeries but passed away in the hospital five days later.
Described by his daughter as a man of integrity, Tewelde had recently become a US citizen and had returned to work post-heart surgery.
Friends, relatives and community members attended a vigil to remember the victim.
