Family and friends of a slain East Village flooring store owner say he was a warm and welcoming man and are having trouble accepting the brutality surrounding his death.
Forty-nine-year-old Tony Radda was loved by many. You can tell by the number of people who stopped by Bottom Price Flooring on G Street in the 24 hours since his death.
More than just business transactions took place inside Bottom Price, Radda's niece Nicole Mansour said.
"You might not have known him for too long but he made you feel like you had known him his whole life because he was so warm and personable," Monsour said. Her uncle was the one she'd go to for wisdom and counsel.
Officers responded to reports of a stabbing at Radda's business at around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to the San Diego Police Department. A customer found him inside and called 911.
Police said Radda wasn't breathing and had no pulse when they arrived. Firefighters arrived minutes later and performed CPR but could not resuscitate him, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from inside the store and saw a man wearing a mask resembling an older woman with grey hair and a woman wearing what appeared to be a purple hair wig. SDPD considers the pair suspects in the killing.
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Though they haven't been found, the family's focus right now is to grieve. One of the most painful things for Monsour is realizing someone didn't value her uncle's life.
"They found more importance in material things than the life of a family member," she said. "They forever have ruined a family dynamic."
Radda leaves behind a wife and two daughters, ages 5 and 8.
"They were everything to him," Monsour said. "Alexa is 8 and everyone calls her his mini-me. She is very sweet but feisty. She looks just like him. Melanie is so beautiful.
An online fundraising page has been established and says, "While he was tragically found alone on (sic) the afternoon his life was taken, he was never alone at heart."
Radda's manner of death has not been confirmed. Police say the suspects fled the warehouse on foot in an unknown direction.
SDPD's Homicide Unit is handling the investigation.
