Dad stabbed to death while walking 8-year-old son home from elementary school, police say

A San Francisco community is stunned after the horrific stabbing death of a father who was walking his son home from elementary school on Wednesday.

A suspect in the incident was arrested on Friday about 170 miles away in Tuolumne County, but San Francisco police have not released many details from the horrible attack.

‘Immediately after this incident occurred, our officers began a tireless investigation to identify and apprehend the suspect. … We were relentless.’

Police said the stabbing was reported at about 4:30 p.m just yards away from the Commodore Sloat Elementary School at the crosswalk between Ocean Ave. and Junipero Serra Blvd.

“The homicide was horrific,” said San Francisco Police Department Interim Chief Paul Yep. “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.”

The victim was identified as 35-year-old Robert Paul Byrd II.

His father said on social media that Byrd died while holding the hand of his 8-year-old son.

An altercation was reported between Byrd and the suspect, but few details were released about the nature of the argument.

“There were words that were exchanged, and other people heard the commotion and what was happening, and the perpetrator stabbed the victim and ran away,” said Supervisor Myrna Melgar, whose district includes the school.

Yep said dozens of officers worked around the clock to identify the suspect. They used evidence gathered from license plate readers, drones, surveillance cameras, and eyewitness accounts.

“Immediately after this incident occurred, our officers began a tireless investigation to identify and apprehend the suspect,” Yep said. “We were relentless.”

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San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins tried to reassure the public by saying the attack was not random in nature, but offered no other details. She added that they are still trying to determine the exact charges to file against the suspect.

“The message is clear: If you commit a crime — especially a violent crime — we will find you, and we will arrest you,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said.

A GoFundMe account set up for the victim’s family has raised more than $62K.

“Robert was a devoted father, a loving son, and a joyful presence to everyone who knew him,” the description on the page reads. “Family and friends remember him as someone who brought laughter and warmth wherever he went, a person who took life seriously but always found ways to share joy.”

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