Memorial service Saturday for downtown Santa Rosa stabbing victim

A memorial service for Cirak Tesfazgi, 32, of Santa Rosa, who was killed this week in a violent attack downtown, will be held at 10:30 a.m. today.

The service at Eggen & Lance Chapel, 1540 Mendocino Ave., will be presided over by Orthodox Christian priests from Santa Rosa and Oakland and conducted in Tigrinya, a language spoken in Eritrea.

A funeral and burial will follow at 1 p.m. at the Santa Rosa Memorial Park annex in Windsor, 1750 Shiloh Road.

Tesfazgi was born in San Francisco in 1984 and lived in Santa Rosa since age 3. He graduated from Santa Rosa High School and Sonoma State University.

Tesfazgi was widely known and recognized around town, where he spent a great deal of time writing poetry at cafes and the library.

He was found dead before 1 a.m. Monday in a Riley Street doorway alcove where police said he appeared to have set up camp for the night. He had been fatally stabbed.

Police have not arrested a suspect in his killing.

Downtown business workers have organized a vigil where Tesfazgi died, and will gather at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at 418 Riley St.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Tesfazgi’s family pay for funeral expenses at gofundme.com/cirak.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.