A 25-year-old man died in the early morning hours of July 3 after he was stabbed in the chest on a street in Hillcrest. According to detectives the stabbing happened around 2:30 a.m. at the popular Uptown District Shopping Center, located at University and Tenth avenues.

“The man, identified as Manuel Santiago, was found in critical condition lying on the sidewalk in front of the Great Earth Vitamin Store,” said San Diego police homicide detective Lt. Terry McManus.

“The manager at the nearby Ralphs supermarket located in the same shopping center was the first to see him lying outside with a puncture wound about 2:30 a.m. The manager called police, and paramedics attempted life-saving measures en route to a hospital but he was pronounced dead around 3 a.m.,” he said.

At first, the manager thought the victim was sleeping, but saw the stab wounds and called police.

A witness walking home from a nearby bar with friends saw the man on the ground when the manager stepped away to call police.

“When I first tried to help him he started to struggle and waved his hands,” Phaedra Bell said. “He was breathing really heavy and every time he breathed more and more, his wound would leak.”

Bell said she and other Ralphs employees tried to talk to the victim and calm him while they waited for paramedics to arrive.

“I asked one of the employees to restrain his arms. I put my arms under his head,” Bell said.

“We are hoping to put together a timeline from witness statements to determine what happened,” McManus said, noting there was no indication of a robbery or any signs that the attack was gang related.

Earlier that night a bartender at Rich’s nightclub, located across the street from where Santiago was found, said he had served him a drink, according to officials.

Results from an autopsy that was performed on the victim have not been released.

McManus said police are trying to locate additional witnesses who may be able to explain how the attack occurred.

Anybody with information related to this incident is encouraged to call the Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-TIPS.