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.
"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.
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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