A San Francisco father was brutally stabbed to death in broad daylight while walking hand-in-hand with his 8-year-old son, just moments after picking him up from school.
Police say 40-year-old Robert Byrd II was attacked on Wednesday afternoon in a crosswalk near Commodore Sloat Elementary School after getting into a heated altercation with another man.
“The homicide was horrific,” interim Police Chief Paul Yep said during a Friday press conference. “A father who was walking across the street with his son was fatally stabbed in the crosswalk after getting into an altercation with the suspect.”
Witnesses reported hearing a commotion before the suspect stabbed Byrd and fled. Investigators quickly launched an intensive manhunt, using surveillance cameras, license plate readers, drones, and eyewitness tips to track down the alleged killer, who was arrested in Tuolumne County. Police have not yet released the suspect’s name or motive but confirmed he lived nearby.
“Many of our officers haven’t slept in a couple days,” SFPD official Thomas Maguire said. “They worked around the clock, and with community cooperation, we were able to follow leads that led us to a safe arrest.”
The tragedy has devastated parents, students, and neighbors across San Francisco. “A kid shouldn’t lose his father,” resident Trish Lethin told KGO. “But then to have to see him die or be with him when he is dying, that is not okay.”
Superintendent Maria Su called Byrd’s murder a “horrific, horrific tragedy” that the school district had never experienced at such a level.
Friends and fellow parents described Byrd as a devoted father who was always at pickup with a smile, waiting for his son. A GoFundMe created by the school’s Parent Club described him as a man whose “greatest love was his son, who was holding his hand in the moments before this tragedy occurred.”
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said prosecutors are reviewing evidence and will announce charges against the suspect soon. “We do still have outstanding witness interviews that need to happen so that we can make a comprehensive decision,” Jenkins told reporters.
There is only one punishment. Death Penalty! Eye for an eye. Why should the tax payers pay to feed & cloth this murderer. He’ll only get out and do it again. Time to clean out the murderers from our prisons.
Sounds like the guys are on board with an answer !
Hanging in the public square is good
Murder in Amerika…. means nothing!!
What will be the charge for killing – rope around his neck until dead. But think some liberal judge will let him walk free as it is San Francisco area where laws mean nothing to these judges.