...By Judah Olanisebee for TDPel Media.
Tech Entrepreneur Bob Lee Stabbed to Death in San Francisco
The Incident
According to The San Francisco Standard, surveillance camera footage shows the final moments of Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App, before he was fatally stabbed.
The video footage shows Lee walking up Main Street near Rincon Park and the Ferry Building, holding his side and using his phone at around 2:30 am on Tuesday.
Lee then approaches a parked car and lifts his shirt to show his stab wounds to the driver, but the car speeds away, leaving Lee to collapse in front of an apartment building.
Lee’s Background
Bob Lee, aged 43, was a father of two young daughters and had moved to Miami in October 2022 to live with his father.
He was back in San Francisco for a business trip, which he extended for one night.
Lee was formerly the chief financial officer of Square, the app founded by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, before launching the mobile payment company Cash App.
Lee was also an active investor in numerous companies, such as SpaceX, Clubhouse, and Figma.
Responses to Lee’s Murder
Elon Musk, Joshua Goldbard, and Bill Barhydt were among those who paid tribute to Lee’s life and work.
Jake Shields, a former MMA fighter and friend of Lee, claimed that Lee was “targeted” in a “random mugging and attack” despite being in a “good” part of the city.
Dorsey expressed his shock and sadness at Lee’s murder, saying that Lee was instrumental to Square and Cash App, and that he was a “STL guy”.
Current Situation in San Francisco
Lee’s murder is the 39th homicide in San Francisco this year, leaving residents concerned about the rise in crime in the city.
The San Francisco Police Department is currently experiencing a shortage of 541 officers, resulting in rising overtime costs for current officers.
The department has been making targeted attempts to address crime in certain pockets of the city, which are prone to incidents.
Mayor London Breed has requested an additional $30 million in funding for the city’s police force. Police are urging anyone with information about Lee’s murder to come forward by calling the SFPD tip-line 415-575-4444.
Commentary
The surveillance footage of Lee’s final moments is both distressing and tragic.
It is difficult to imagine the fear and pain Lee must have experienced as he sought help, only to be left alone to die.
Lee’s murder highlights the ongoing issue of violence and crime in San Francisco, which has been exacerbated by a shortage of police officers.
It is crucial for the city to take action to address this problem and prevent more tragic deaths like Lee’s in the future.
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