HAYWARD (KRON) — The memory of Oliver Williams, who went by Tyrone Hodges, will live on in pictures.
He was the man who police say tried to stop someone from stealing another person’s shoes on a BART train.
His best friend Rose Cardoza tells KRON4 he didn’t like bullies or people being picked on.
She believes that’s why he stepped in to defend this person.
Cardoza says Williams was someone who worked hard for what he had, loved to dance to good music, played the drums, bongos, keyboard, guitar, and even the harmonica.
Since his death on Tuesday, BART police have upped their presence on trains.
One rider says that’s not enough.
“Reactive — how long is that going to last? If you’re going to be proactive about it, you need to look at it as you need to fix the problem before it starts, not after it happens,” the rider said.
Another rider says it’s troubling to hear this news and even with an increased police presence, he’s not ready to change his riding habits.
“I would not bring my family onto the BART very frequent,” he said.
William’s niece tells us that she can’t stop crying, saying that he was a father, uncle, and brother.
She says he was a family man who had come a long way.
A recent video showing him and others dancing to Bob Marley.
Cardoza says Williams was an Oakland Raiders fan to the core, saying that a piece of her will be with him in heaven for the rest of her time on earth.
On Wednesday, BART officials said the suspect arrested in the stabbing in south Hayward walked away from San Leandro psychiatric facility prior to the incident.
The suspect, 39-year-old Jermaine Jeremiah Brim of Sacramento, was also listed as a missing at-risk person, according to authorities.
It is unknown at this time how long he had been missing.
BART police continue to investigate the stabbing at this time and are trying to figure out where and when the suspect and victim got on the train.