At approximately 9:30 pm on Thursday, August 24, a theft attempt at Richmond Market on Balboa Street in San Francisco resulted in the death of the store clerk, Yowhannes “John” Tewelde.
The 60-year-old worker intervened when an individual attempted to steal two bottles of beer after having previously taken bottled water. Tewelde confronted the thief with a baseball bat but was knocked down and subsequently assaulted with the same bat.
The incident, captured on surveillance footage, showed Tewelde sustaining a serious head injury as he was beaten into a coma. He underwent two surgeries but never regained consciousness and died five days later.
Tewelde, a recent US citizen, had heart surgery earlier in the year, and went right back to work as soon as he could because he wanted to be there. He was very well-regarded in the community. The assailant fled and remains unidentified.