The father of murdered tech mogul Bob Lee says he has lost his best friend as San Francisco police continue to hunt for suspects in the “random killing”.
Rick Lee paid tribute to his 43-year-old son in a Facebook post on Wednesday, a day after after he was stabbed to death in downtown San Francisco at around 2.30am on Tuesday morning.
Mr Lee wrote that the pair had lived together in Mill Valley, California, since the death of his wife in 2019, before relocating to Miami in October last year.
“Bob would give you the shirt off his back. He would never look down on anyone and adhered to a strict no-judgment philosophy,” his father wrote.
Rick Lee wrote that “life has been an adventure with two bachelors living together”, and the pair had grown close in recent years: “Bobby worked harder than anyone and was the smartest person I have ever known. He will be missed by all those that knew him.”
Bob Lee’s brother Tim wrote in a separate post that he was “saddened and disheartened” over the senseless slaying.
“He really was the best of us,” Tim said. “I was so fortunate to grow up with him, and I feel like I’ve lost part of myself.”
Bob Lee was also survived by his wife Krista and their two children.
He was found with fatal knife wounds outside a luxury apartment complex at 300 Main St, between Soma and the Financial District, at 2.35am on Tuesday, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.
First responders treated the father of two at the scene before rushing him to hospital, where he died of his injuries, they added.
The city homicide department is investigating, and no details about a suspect have been released.
Police and the San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins have not responded to requests for comment by The Independent.
The senseless murder has roiled San Francisco’s tech community, where Mr Lee was a well-known presence due to his two decades of work at Google, as Square CTO, as MobileCoin CPO and as an angel investor and serial entrepreneur for start-up firms.
Elon Musk called on Ms Jenkins to take tougher action on repeat violent offenders after Mr Lee’s killing while Square CEO Jack Dorsey said the murder was “heartbreaking”.
Friends of Mr Lee, who referred to him as “Crazy Bob,” said the killing appeared to be random.
