A tragedy unfolded early Sunday morning at the Omni Hotel in downtown Austin, in which a gunman shot a cab driver, Conrado Guadalupe Contreras, 60.
And now Edward Kargbo, president of Yellow Cab Austin, has set up a GoFundMe page for Contreras’ family to pay for his funeral expenses. The site has already raised more than $5,100 from 98 people in less than 24 hours. Its goal is to raise $25,000. Yellow Cab Austin plans to match every dollar up to the first $2,500.
“Conrad lived a life of service, having served many years of his life in the U.S. Military, and the last 15 years as one of Yellow Cab Austin’s most devoted drivers,” according to the a statement by Kargbo. “He was a man beloved by his passengers, colleagues, and friends.”
Contreras, a U.S. Navy veteran, worked as a taxi driver in Austin for 15 years.
The alleged shooter, Michael Holt, 35, had ties to the technology community. Holt rented a desk at Capital Factory and previously worked at RetailMeNot and uShip. Holt’s motive and few other details are known about the incident. Austin Police Officer Carlos Lopez shot Holt in the lobby of the hotel near the restaurant at about 4:50 a.m. on July 5th. Capital Factory, an Austin accelerator and technology coworking site, is located on the 16th floor of the Omni Hotel.
For Contreras’ GoFundMe account, Capital Factory will match all donations made by its members.
“I want to extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones and friends of Conrad Contreras,” Joshua Baer, founder of Capital Factory, said in a news statement. “I’m glad Yellow Cab has set up the GoFundMe campaign and have donated personally.”
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