Inventor of the Cash App, Bob Lee. Courtesy of MobileCoin
- Bob Lee, the inventor of the Cash App, was fatally stabbed in San Francisco earlier this week.
- His friend Jake Shields told NewsNation that Lee recently moved to Miami.
- Lee moved out of San Francisco because he felt it was unsafe, Shields added.
Bob Lee, the inventor of the Cash App, moved out of San Francisco because he believed the city was “decaying” just before he was fatally stabbed, a friend told NewsNation on Wednesday.
Jake Shields, a former mixed martial artist, told the outlet that he used to live in the area where Lee was attacked but eventually moved because he no longer felt safe there.
“[Lee] “I was commenting on San Francisco’s deterioration, which is actually why he just moved to Miami,” Shields told the outlet.
“It wasn’t the only reason, but it was a reason,” Shields told Insider. “I can’t remember the exact words he used and I want to be careful when I put words in a dead man’s mouth, but he was extremely happy with it.” Miami felt a lot cleaner and safer.”
According to an NBC Bay Area report, Lee died after being stabbed early Tuesday morning while walking near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge.
Few details have emerged about the circumstances of the attack and police have not yet identified anyone or announced any arrests in connection with the incident.
The tech mogul sold his multimillion-dollar home in the San Francisco area in July last year, according to real estate records verified by the New York Post.
Insider has not been able to independently verify when Lee left town and whether or not he was in San Francisco on business.
Shields told NewsNation the attack was a “pointless act of violence in San Francisco,” adding that the city has had “problems” for some time.
“But anyone who’s been at this for a long time knows it’s only going to get worse,” Shields added. “People talk and say they will do things, but nobody does anything.”
Lee’s death reignited a long-running debate about crime in San Francisco.
Last year, San Francisco’s violent crime rate, which includes murders, rapes, assaults and robberies, was 647 per 100,000 people, according to the San Francisco Police Department. This is an increase from 550 in 2020 and 603 in 2021, but lower than the pre-pandemic figure of 696 in 2019.
Several other friends and colleagues of Lee have criticized crime in the city and urged San Francisco Mayor London Breed to take more action.
Twitter owner Elon Musk also weighed in on the debate, tweeting on Wednesday: “Many people I know have been severely attacked. Violent crimes in SF are horrendous and even when attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.” He did not cite any sources to support the claim.
WATCH NOW: Insider Inc.’s Popular Videos
Loading…
