Hours before midnight on Dec. 31, Gerardo de Avila Garcia, 36, was celebrating New Year’s Eve with his co-workers at Bar TZA, just two blocks from Limón, where he had worked as a server for about a year and a half.
He left early, around 11 p.m., to see his dad, who also works at Limón, as a busser, said Alicia Olund, the manager and a friend of Garcia’s.
By 12:25 a.m., Garcia was “laying on the ground, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds” at the Gas & Shop gas station on the corner of South Van Ness Avenue and 17th Street, according to the police department.
“His father was waiting for him. Now he’s gonna remember that day forever,” said Ismael Hernandez, a coworker at Limón at 1001 South Van Ness Ave. near 21st Street.
The Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Garcia’s identity on Tuesday.
Minutes before the shooting, Jose Rivera Flores, the suspect who was arrested on Jan. 1, paid for gas at one of the pumps, but had issues with the pumps. He walked into the shop, upset, and “talked bad” to a female employee, who was one of three people working that shift, said the gas station manager, Jose Guillen.
Garcia told Rivera Flores that “it was not the right way to talk to a lady,” and followed him out the store, trying to talk to him. Rivera Flores allegedly pulled out his gun and fired, the manager said.
“He always stands up for somebody,” said Olund. “What sucks the most is knowing he died telling someone to respect another person.”
Rivera Flores has been charged with murder and carrying a concealed and loaded firearm, according to District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. He is slated to be arraigned on Jan. 30. Rivera Flores will be represented by the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office.
Olund was one of the first people to hear about the news. An employee heard something about the murder on New Year’s Day, and asked if it was true. Her first reaction was to deny it. “No, that’s not true,” she remembered saying. She called Garcia’s dad, who confirmed what had happened.
“His dad is such a sweet older man,” Olund said. “Hearing him cry was so heart-breaking.”
She was with Garcia at the New Year’s Eve gathering before the shooting. He had just introduced Olund to his friend. Olund parked right behind the friend. “My friend will watch your car,” Garcia joked with her.
“He was so nice,” Olund said. “We have a lot of homeless people here. He always goes to talk to them, be friends with them.”
Last Friday would have been Garcia’s first day back at work. “When I came in today, me and a couple others, we were just crying,” Olund said.
Hernandez was one of them. He and Garcia had worked together for about a year. He remembered the first time they met in January of last year. “We shook hands. His handshake was so strong,” he recalled.
They built a good relationship in and outside of work, Hernandez said. “He’s always fun,” he said, talking about him in the present tense. “There’s always a smile on his face.”
They shared the same schedule and almost always worked the same shifts on the weekends. “We talked about anything: Music, friends, drinks.” When Hernandez got dropped off for his 11 a.m. shifts, he often saw Garcia walking down South Van Ness at just about the same time. He always walked, Hernandez said.
The last time they hung out was on Dec. 28, at Limón’s holiday party. Earlier in the month, Garcia celebrated his birthday at a party at Limón. They had a cake.
Hernandez said they were each other’s Secret Santa: Hernandez gave him a cologne that Garcia mentioned liking. Garcia’s gift was a black T-shirt and some cash. “He asked people to ask me my size,” Hernandez said, smiling. It was obvious. “Two people asked me what size I wear.”
When Olund called him about Garcia’s death on Jan. 1, Hernandez was on his lunch break. “I couldn’t believe it, because, how?” Olund was crying. Hernandez tried to eat, but couldn’t.
Before the news broke, Hernandez thought it was a robbery, and Garcia just happened to be there. “Now, I can imagine how it happened,” he said. “Maybe he was just trying to be himself, defending the cashier.”
Last Friday morning, when Hernandez got to work, he turned his head instinctively to see if Garcia would be walking down South Van Ness like he used to.
“Of course not,” he said, tearing up.
I had the privilege of meeting Gerardo over a year ago, and while the food at Limon is incredible, he was truly one of the main reasons I kept returning whenever I was in town. His warm, welcoming smile was contagious, and he always made sure we felt at home in the restaurant.
Walking in yesterday and learning of his passing was heartbreaking—it felt like a punch to the gut. What hurt even more was realizing it was his father I unknowingly asked about him when I didn’t see him there. My heart shattered for his father, family, and everyone who knew him.
I’m sending his loved ones my deepest condolences and keeping them in my prayers during this difficult time.
Gerardo, you will be missed tremendously!
This is extremely heart-breaking. Just imagining I was the gal working at the gas station and this stranger defends me and gets killed…. It would absolutely kill me. Sending my most heartfelt sympathies to the family of Gerardo. I’m convinced he was an amazing man. Lo siento mucho, familia García.
Gerardo García es mi hermano, leer los comentarios de sus amigos es algo tan grato saber que ellos tienen la certeza del ser tan noble, amoroso y empatico que es. Siempre defendió a cualquier persona, sin importar si era de su círculo Vidal. La familia está destrozada por perder a un ser tan especial y mágico como mi hermano
This is terrible. Gerardo I am sorry this happened to you. My friends and I had dinner at Limon early December and Gerardo was our server. Gerardo’s shift was ending and mentioned he had to leave because it happened to be his birthday. Liliana Herrera started singing Las Mañanitas to him a capella, and we all joined her until Gerardo was tearing up, a big smile on his face. It was such a great moment singing to him. That is how I met him and could instantly feel he was lovely and such a great person, relatable, funny. So sad to hear this news.