More than $14,000 raised for father, son stabbed at Tacoma corner store
A double-stabbing at a North End Tacoma corner store rattled but united the neighborhood.
More than $14,000 has been raised for the father and son who were attacked Monday while working at the Corner Store at North K and 6th streets. Neighbors left notes and flowers outside the business, and others used sidewalk chalk to pen messages like “Stay strong” and “You are valued.”
Although the store closed after the stabbing, it reopened Tuesday morning.
Tacoma police have not arrested anyone.
The stabbing took place about 2:15 p.m. Monday. Both the father, 59, and his son, 33, were taken to area hospitals to be treated for stab wounds. Both were listed in stable condition.
“They are hard-working, small business owners and they offer an important service that helps make our community what it is,” said Jesse Sanchez, a regular customer who lives nearby. “They deliver more than convenient goods. They are part of the fabric that makes the community interesting and unique.”
The family bought the Corner Store in 1999, according to county records. The father and son were described as quiet, kind and friendly by several people who frequent the business for snacks and household items.
David Kim, a family friend who organized a GoFundMe to raise money for the victims, said they were “mindlessly stabbed multiple times by a customer who was politely asked to put on a mask.”
The investigation is ongoing and police said they could not confirm if that was true.
“It’s scary to release a motive when we don’t have the person in custody,” said spokeswoman Shelbie Boyd.
The son told KOMO he asked his attacker several times to put on a mask and when he refused, escorted him to the door. That’s when the suspect allegedly stabbed the son in the stomach, then turned the knife on the father when he tried to intervene.
“The guy was just stabbing him, and I was trying to knock the guy over,” he told KOMO. “I was screaming, ‘Someone help my dad!’ He’s bleeding. The crazy thing is he just walked away like nothing happened.”
This story was originally published May 11, 2021 at 2:53 PM.
