David Breaux.Photo: Dave Breaux/Facebook
A Northern California city is mourning the death of David Breaux, affectionately known as the ‘Compassion Guy,’ who was killed in broad daylight at the same park where residents and officials say he left an impact on many people’s lives for the past decade.
Breaux was found stabbed to death around 11:20 a.m. on April 27 at Central Park in Davis, a city about 15 miles west of Sacramento, according to a Facebook post from the Davis Police Department. No arrests have been made.
A fixture in his community, Breaux, 50, helped create the Compassion Corner Earthbench on the corner of C Street and 3rd Street in 2013, according to astatement from the City of Davis.For the last ten years, he has stood there, encouraging people to be more aware of compassion and asking others to express their meaning of the word.
“He chose Davis as his home to be around people; he touched many lives in our community, dedicating his time and energy toward selflessness,” city officials said in the statement.
“I had decided to spend the rest of my life with a pen and notepad and asking people to share their concept of compassion… I will continue doing this, until this can no longer continue,” the City of Davis statement quotes him as saying.
“I think compassion has the potential to bring the whole world together,” a person said in aFebruary clipposted to Breaux’s Instagram profile. “I think compassion can also be empathy. It can be connecting to what you already understand but it can also be about connecting to something you don’t understand. But, it’s that effort to try that counts.”
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
On April 30, the community held a vigil in the park, where they placed flowers and created chalk drawings on the pavement surrounding the bench.
“It’s just unfathomable what happened,” Davis resident Judy Catambay, toldCBS News. “I think everyone is in shock because it goes against everything he stood for.”
Police are still searching for a suspect in the case. Anyone with information on the deadly attack is asked to call the Davis Police Department’s tip line at 530-747-5460.
source: people.com
