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 being beaten into a coma and sustaining a serious head injury.  He underwent two surgeries but never regained consciousness.

Tewelde, a recent US citizen, according to his daughter, had undergone heart surgery earlier in the year, and was well-regarded in the community. His neighbors and loved ones held a vigil for him in front of the Richmond Market on August 31.A GoFundMe campaign was set up to assist the family. 

The assailant remains unidentified.