A San Francisco shopkeeper died Tuesday after a thief beat him with a baseball bat last week, said the store owner’s family.

Yohannes “John” Tewolde died following multiple days in intensive care, according to a GoFundMe set up for the family. A Thursday night vigil will be held for him.

“As many of you know, he is a loving father, husband and owner of a sweet ‘store’ cat Nancy,” the GoFundMe page says about Mr. Tewolde. “He worked 7 days a week and always shared his warm smile with customers.”

San Francisco police said they responded to a call Thursday about a robbery and an aggravated assault at Mr. Tewolde’s store in the Richmond District.

Officers arrived to find the 60-year-old victim lying unconscious. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

A preliminary investigation from police found that Mr. Tewolde used a baseball bat to confront an unidentified thief in his store around 9 p.m. The suspect assaulted Mr. Tewolde and gained control of the bat, which he then used to beat the shopkeeper.

The thief threw the bat at another victim and fled the scene in a sedan, according to authorities.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.