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David Breaux, a 50-year-old man was found fatally stabbed in broad daylight in Central Park in Davis, California on April 27, 2023, according to the Davis Police Department. The city of Davis is located around 15 miles west of Sacramento, California. Local residents said that David was often found inspiring a number of people in the same park where he was found brutally murdered.
David Breaux was dubbed “Compassion Guy” by the residents of the California University town. He was reportedly known for "spreading compassion and love" to anyone he crossed paths with over the years.
Responding to a tweet shared by KCRA News reporter DeNeeka Hill, Daniel Bergstresser, a friend of David's since college, spoke about the "compassion guy." Bergstresser said that David had carved out a “Compassion Corner” on the park bench where he could often be found exploring the subject.
Police, who are actively investigating the case, said that no arrests have been made in the incident.
David Breaux graduated from Stanford University
According to the Davis Police Department, David Breaux was found stabbed to death at around 11:20 am on April 27, 2023, at Central Park in Davis.
Maria Breaux, David’s older sister told Guardian News that they were the children of a Jamaican mother and French-Creole father. They grew up in the lower-middle-class neighborhood of Duarte, situated northeast of Los Angeles.
The siblings reportedly graduated from Stanford University before David moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. During that time, David reportedly watched a Ted Talk, My Wish: The Charter for Compassion by Karen Armstrong, which he found immensely inspiring. David's innate interest in exploring what compassion means to others supposedly propelled him to seek out people’s insights on the subject for years.
He moved to Davis in 2009 where he carved out a "compassion corner" on a bench in Central Park to do his work. In 2010, David reportedly published a book titled Compassion: A Compilation of Concepts in Compassion.
In a brief description of her brother, Maria said that he was always the "kindest and sweetest person," who tried to be in a state of pure love. She said that he offered lessons on compassion on the park bench.
Expressing gratitude towards the community that has been extremely supportive towards her brother following his death, Maria said:
“I’ve had incredible support from people in the Davis community who were strangers and now I feel like they’re family.”
Maria said that the last time she heard from her brother was in 2019 when concerned residents called her saying that David had lost his housing. However, no additional information about the same was available at the time of writing this article.
Tributes pour in as David Breaux is found dead in Davis
In the wake of his death, several people took to social media to mourn the loss of the "compassion guy," David Breaux, who impacted many people's lives over the past decade. The city of Davis issued a statement on Twitter adding that the Davis Phoenix Coalition will host a vigil for David. According to People News, in the vigil held on April 30, 2023, people created chalk drawings on the pavement near the bench and also placed flowers around it.
In the wake of his death, people gathered in the compassion corner at the park bench and paid respect to the slain man.
The incident comes amid recent stabbings in the city of Davis, where at least two victims were stabbed after David Breaux was found dead. A student from the University of California, Davis, Karin Abou Najm was found stabbed to death in the park on April 30, 2023. The next day, an unidentified woman living in a tent in the city’s downtown area was reportedly in critical condition after she was stabbed.
Police are yet to determine if there is a potential link between the stabbings. They have asked anyone with information on the suspect to call the Davis Police Department's tip line at 530-747-5460.
