JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Patrick T. Pitter, 50, was stabbed and killed inside the packed Eveready Caribbean Restaurant and Lounge Monday night, according to witnesses.
Kent Hall was driving by the restaurant when the man ran outside, and stopped to help Pitter.
"I seen a man running down the street, and he was covered in blood," Hall said.
Hall passed Pitter while he was driving by, but he said he saw him collapse in his rear-view mirror. Rather than keep on going, he turned around to see if he could help.
Police said Pitter was stabbed in the neck around 6 p.m. inside the restaurant, which is off Lem Turner Road.
Hall said he and a woman tried to help, but Pitter was losing too much blood.
"He was running and holding his neck, trying to get away and he collapsed. We tried to ask him his name and what happened, and he was just struggling to breathe. He fought hard, but he just couldn't make it," Hall said.
Hall was there as Pitter took his last breath just as paramedics arrived. The victim had staggered about 40 yards down the street.
According to witnesses, Pitter was trying to get away from his killer and died right in front of an after school center, where luckily the kids had already gone home for the day.
According to Hall, "He was unresponsive and he was trying to breathe. He stopped breathing a couple of times and we said, 'Patrick, Patrick,' and the rescue finally got here."
Locals said they are worried about the crime in this neighborhood and wish the witnesses would come forward with what they know.
"I think the crime in Jacksonville is getting ridiculous. It's like, are the kids safe to go outside in the streets anymore? It's sad. Something needs to change," Hall said.
Police are asking for help and want anyone with information to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or email them at JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org.
You can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS, where there is the possibility of a $3,000 reward.