Man charged with stabbing father near SF elementary school to be held while awaiting trial
Robert Byrd was fatally stabbed while crossing the street near Commodore Sloat Elementary School with his 8-year-old son, after getting into some sort of argument with a suspect.
SAN FRANCISCO - The man accused of stabbing a father who was walking with his eight-year-old son pleaded not guilty on Friday to murder and child endangerment charges.
Judge Harry Dorfman ordered Daniel Patrick Rodriguez Jr. to be detained as he awaits further hearings.
Rodriguez is charged with murder and child endangerment after allegedly stabbing Robert Byrd II in the neck on Sept. 10, while Byrd was walking with his son.
A deadly altercation
The backstory:
Byrd, 35, had just picked up his son from Commodore Sloat Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon and the two were crossing the street when he got into an altercation with another man, later identified as Rodriguez, 42.
Court documents ordering Rodriguez' detainment state that witnesses saw the two men "pushing and punching" each other.
"Multiple bystanders stopped to break up the altercation. The victim's eight-year-old son was present during the entire incident. While attempting to break up the fight, the defendant walks around a witness and stabs the victim one time in the neck," the documents state. "Up until this point, the victim did not make any threats or brandish any type of weapon. After stabbing the victim in the neck, the defendant calmly walked away."
Immediately following the murder, the court documents state, Rodriguez "fled to the Yosemite area, approximately 150 miles away."
Rodriguez was arrested within 48 hours of the altercation.
"Of course, we are all mourning for this child who was present during this incident, and want to make sure we deliver justice for this family, and quite honestly, our community," San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said.
A community rallies
Local perspective:
Following his death, the Commodore Sloat Elementary School Parent's Club Organization started a GoFundMe to benefit Byrd's family.
"Robert was a devoted father, a loving son, and a joyful presence to everyone who knew him. 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," the GoFundMe states. "His greatest love was his son, who was holding his hand in the moments before this tragedy occurred."
As of Friday afternoon, the GoFundMe had raised nearly $94,000, just shy of its $100,000 goal.