He didn't have a traditional job, but friends said he earned a small amount of money doing everything from stocking shelves at convenience stores, to washing windshields for tips.
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"He wasn't homeless, he wasn't just a face, and people liked him," said Charles Ray, one of the people who arranged for a memorial of balloons and flowers outside the gas station where the man known as "Shorty," gathered Sunday afternoon.
RELATED: Homeless man killed while trying to help clerk during robbery
Homeless man killed while helping clerk during robbery
Shorty was killed one week ago, when a robber walked into a Swift gas station store with a gun.
Security video shows the suspect confronting the clerk. Suddenly, Oubre rushes in attempt to save the clerk.
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He was shot in the chest and later died. The gunman fled, and has not yet been identified.
To the family and friends who lit candles at the memorial, and held a balloon release in his honor, Shorty made the ultimate sacrifice of laying down his life for another.
"That says a lot about his character," said Ray. "I love him a lot and we all miss him."
Police described the suspects as Hispanic males in their late teens or early 20s.
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