- San Francisco’s mayor called the death of Cash App creator Bob Lee “a horrible tragedy.”
- London Breed said police are investigating, and San Francisco is “prioritizing public safety.”
- Breed pointed to a recent budget supplemental that will put more police in SF neighborhoods.
San Francisco’s mayor called the fatal stabbing of Cash App creator Bob Lee “a horrible tragedy.”
Mayor London Breed said her “sympathies go out to his family and friends,” in a statement shared with Insider.
“The police are actively investigating what happened and will share details as soon as they can,” Breed said. “San Francisco is prioritizing public safety, including recently passing our budget supplemental so we have the police staffing necessary to have more police officers in our neighborhoods and to investigate violent crimes when they do occur.”
Breed proposed a $27 million budget supplemental last month to be used for overtime pay for police, recruiting more officers, and hiring more prosecutors. A $25 million budget supplemental was approved in late March.
Tech leaders who knew and worked with Lee offered condolences on social media following his death, including Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, who said it was “heartbreaking.”
Elon Musk tweeted about Lee’s death, saying that he was “very sorry to hear that” and that ‘violent crime in SF is horrific” and that “many people I know have been severely assaulted.”
He tagged San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to ask if “the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders.”
In a separate tweet, Jenkins shared her condolences to Lee’s family and loved ones, and said, “We do not tolerate these horrific acts of violence in San Francisco.”
Lee’s friend, Jake Shields, told NewsNation that Lee had just moved out of San Francisco to Miami because he felt the city was “deteriorating.”
‘That wasn’t the only reason but was a reason,” Shields previously told Insider. “I can’t remember the exact words he used, and want to be careful putting words in a dead man’s mouth, but he was extremely happy about how much cleaner and safer Miami felt.”
Compared to the city’s population, violent crimes in San Francisco are relatively low, Insider previously reported. Although the city’s violent crime rate increased in 2022 compared to 2020 and 2021, it was lower than before the pandemic in 2019. San Francisco’s violent crime rates are relatively favorable compared to other large cities, like Chicago and Los Angeles.
But Insider reported that recent data from San Francisco Police Department shows the homicide rate increased in 2020 and 2021, and did not change in 2022.
Police have not yet identified any suspects, nor announced any arrests related to the fatal stabbing. The SFPD still has to finish its investigation before the DA can work on the case, Randy Quezada, communications director for the city’s DA office previously told Insider.
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