Family, friends mourn Highland Park liquor store clerk murdered over a case of beer
Outside the liquor store where Steve Reyes worked are candles, family pictures and flowers people have placed throughout the day.
Reyes was killed after being bashed in the head with an electric scooter by one of four teens trying to steal, among many other things, a case of beer.
"He was just working to provide for his family, take care of his mother and this tragedy has to happen," said one mourner.
Kaycie Reyes, Steve's oldest daughter said her father was at the wrong place, at the wrong time, just trying to do the right thing. While she has come to a place of forgiveness, she does not want another family to go through this pain.
"There's nothing that can undo the past but that does not mean that my family is not going to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
While Kaycie said his death wasn't about race, it has started a conversation within the Filipino community about violence like this and how to stop it.
"It's definitely more than an isolated incident," said Karen Rosas, who is with the National Alliance of Filipino Organizations Institutions and Individuals, or NAFCON.
As the Highland Park community mourns the loss of a many many say would give the shirt off his back to help overs, Kaycie said her father died doing the right thing.
"He literally self-sacrificed himself to save somebody else, to help somebody else," she said. "I truly believe that he died a hero, 100 percent."
