Bob Lee, a giant of San Francisco’s tech community, was found early Tuesday with fatal stab wounds, police said. He died in hospital from the injuries.
Lee’s fingerprints are all over some of Silicon Valley’s most valuable tech. He helped build the Android smartphone system at Google before going on to be the first Chief Technology Officer of Square. There, Lee created Cash App, then known as Square Cash, which quickly became one of the most popular mobile payment apps in the world, though it’s only available in the U.S. and U.K.
Lee was the chief product officer of MobileCoin, a cryptocurrency platform, when he died. The company confirmed his death on Wednesday in an email to the Associated Press.
“Our dear friend and colleague, Bob Lee passed away yesterday at the age of 43, survived by a loving family and collection of close friends and collaborators,” MobileCoin CEO Josh Goldbard wrote Wednesday.
The San Francisco Police Department said a stabbing was reported near the city’s Embarcadero waterfront at 2:35 a.m. Tuesday. Police found Lee bleeding out from stab wounds.
“Officers rendered aid and summoned medics to the scene,” but Lee died at a hospital, police said.
“This investigation is still in the early stages. Because of this we are not commenting on evidence, nor will we speculate on the circumstances surrounding this horrific crime,” Police Chief Bill Scott said in the statement.
While police have released few details about the stabbing, surveillance footage reviewed by The San Francisco Standard gave a glimpse at Lee’s final moments. (Global News has not independently viewed the video.)
According to the Standard, the footage showed Lee, who had already been stabbed, walking up San Francisco’s Main Street at around 2:30 a.m. when he approached a parked white Camry with its hazards flashing.
Lee is seen on camera lifting his shirt, as if to show the driver where he was stabbed, before falling to the ground. The car then drives away, The Standard reported.
- Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to jail following rape conviction overturn
- California mom accidentally invites 487 people to child’s 1st birthday
- Canada is unblocking aid to Afghanistan but delay is ‘extremely frustrating’: advocate
- ‘Hiroshima-level casualties’ feared in final battle for North Darfur
The video then shows Lee getting up and walking back the way he came before falling down a second time outside an apartment building, according to the publication.
At 2:34 a.m., Lee dialled 911 and repeatedly screamed for help, according to call records reviewed by The Standard. Police arrived on the scene six minutes later and found him unconscious.
The morning after the incident, city workers were seen cleaning up what appeared to be a trail of blood on the sidewalk and wall outside the building where Lee collapsed.
Police have yet to announce any suspects or possible motives for the crime.
“There is no place for this kind of violent crime against anyone in our city. I want to assure everyone that our investigators are working tirelessly to make an arrest and bring justice to Mr. Lee and his loved ones, just as we try to do on every homicide that occurs in our city,” Police Chief Scott added.
Lee was fatally stabbed in the densely populated Rincon Hill neighbourhood of San Francisco, near Google’s office and Oracle Park, home to the San Francisco Giants. The neighbourhood is a mix of offices and modern condo buildings.
His death fuelled debate over public safety in San Francisco and its moribund downtown, which has not yet bounced back from the pandemic. Twitter’s owner Elon Musk took to the social media site to post that “violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately” and tagged the city’s district attorney.
In a statement, San Francisco Mayor London Breed called the homicide “a horrible tragedy” and said that the city is prioritizing public safety.
“I’m confident that when the police make an arrest in cases like this, our district attorney will do what’s necessary to hold any individuals accountable for their actions,” she said.
— With files from The Associated Press
Comments