Post by Scumhunter on Oct 20, 2015 17:27:59 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: TenSpace via Fox40.com)
STOCKTON — Just hours before Tim Egkan’s lifeless body was discovered on a darkened central Stockton street, he had led 20 San Francisco Bay Area craftsmen and artists on a tour of his company’s Medico-Dental Building, touting the potential opportunities for relocating to downtown.
Police have revealed very little about the incident they are investigating as a homicide. They did confirm late Sunday that the body is that of 32-year-old Egkan.
Egkan was the chief brand officer for Ten Space Developers. Along with his partners, Egkan shared a bold vision to transform downtown Stockton from its blighted state into a complete community with housing, entertainment, jobs, as well as locally operated food and retail businesses.
Stockton police spokesman Officer Joe Silva said, “We know that he was involved in some sort of altercation. We are waiting for the autopsy to get the exact cause of death. Hopefully after the autopsy we will be able to put out more information,” Silva said.
The brief police report stated that officers were in the area of West Poplar and North Lincoln streets about 2:08 a.m. Sunday when they were approached by a person who told them “there was a man lying in the gutter who appeared dead. Officers located an unresponsive adult male with obvious signs of trauma. Medics responded but were unable to resuscitate the victim.”
Homicide detectives responded and, according to Silva, are now seeking the public’s assistance in learning more about the incident.
Egkan’s body was found in front of a medical office on Poplar just east of Lincoln, one block south of Dameron Hospital. Silva could not say how long Egkan’s body had been in the street, why he was in the neighborhood or what may have led to the altercation.
However, several people who knew Egkan during his short time in Stockton believe he lived nearby.
A longtime downtown developer, Dan Cort — whose son Zac Cort was Egkan’s best friend and business partner — expressed sadness over Egkan’s death and said everyone who knew him closely is in shock.
“It’s such a tragedy,” Dan Cort said Sunday afternoon. “I hope the legacy from this is that more people will get involved and understand that these incidents have nothing to do with the bigger plan to have a healthier and more vital community. That is the legacy of a good man.”
In addition to the prominent Medico Dental Tower at North California Street and Miner Avenue, Ten Space is the developer behind the refurbished Newberry and Huddle commercial centers and the mixed use Brick Hotel at North California and East Weber Avenue.
Mayor Anthony Silva, who knew Egkan and applauded his plans for downtown, similarly described his murder as shocking.
“I’m still pretty devastated, as many people will be when they hear who it is. This is somebody who believed in Stockton and what Stockton’s potential is,” Silva said.
“Tim is a guy you would see walking around downtown every day. He would shop downtown, spend his time working downtown. Obviously, his heart was in developing downtown Stockton,” the mayor said.
Downtown Stockton Alliance Chief Executive Cindi Fargo also spoke highly of Egkan.
“I think he exemplified the Ten in Ten Space. I believe he had a good heart for the community and had intentions for helping Stockton grow in the way it needs to grow,” Fargo said.
“I certainly hope they are going to press on with their work. It’s a very difficult situation right now, and they may need some time to catch up. From the (Downtown Stockton Alliance), our hearts and prayers go out to his family and friends,” she said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Stockton Police Department at (209) 937-8377, the Investigations Unit at (209) 937-8323 or Crime Stoppers at (209) 946-0600. Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards up to $10,000. Callers can remain anonymous.
Cell phone users can text information to 274637 (CRIMES) by entering the keyword “TIPSPD” followed by their tip. Internet users can visit the Police Department’s Facebook page and click “Submit a Tip.”
On Saturday, Egkan had good-naturedly introduced the group from the Bay Area visiting downtown with these words: “Welcome from civilization. … You’re in Stockton now.”
He went on to tell the visitors, who are being priced out of expensive buildings in San Francisco and throughout the Bay, that Stockton remains affordable and has great potential for a walkable community.
Later in the afternoon, Egkan went over to the Stockmarket, downtown’s newest periodic venue for artists and vendors co-founded by his girlfriend, Katie Macrae.
Thoughts? This case was briefly mentioned on the syndicated crime show "Crime Watch Daily." What is a shame is how Egkan was hoping to improve Stockton and got murdered in the same city. I know Stockton has a rough reputation and I can speak somewhat from personal experience. I was in San Francisco for vacation in October 2012 and it turned into an unexpected 2-week or so vacation after Hurricane Sandy happened back home and I couldn't get any flights back until things settled down. I used public transport a lot, and one of the buses originated and ended (depending on direction) in Stockton, and there must have been four or five different fights on those buses. While I shouldn't stereotype and I'm sure some of those incidents possibly involved people from San Francisco, I assume at least one or two of those fights were probably people from Stockton and it was the only bus or train really where I had that issue. (Although to be honest I did find San Fran surprisingly rough considering its' new reputation as a gentrified tech-boom haven- still a beautiful city with lots to do- but still has the same crime problems that plague any U.S. city).
However, the fact that Egkan was even there in the first place proves that the city has potential. It sounds to me like a potential robbery gone awry but whatever the motive, the friends and family of Egkan and the community of Stockton deserves the peace of mind of this currently unknown killer being brought to justice.
www.recordnet.com/article/20150913/NEWS/150919861
fox40.com/2015/09/13/stockton-real-estate-developer-found-dead-in-gutter/
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