An April robbery in San Francisco that led to the death of a 63-year-old woman has been declared a homicide, police said today.
Helen Canafax, a city resident described as a popular and generous woman who often gave money to the homeless, was the victim of a purse-snatch robbery in front of 680 Folsom St. in the late afternoon of April 10.
During the robbery, she was knocked to the pavement and seriously injured. Police believed the injuries contributed to her death several days later.
Police spokesman Sgt. Wilfred Williams said the medical examiner has since ruled Canafax’s death a homicide.
San Francisco police have reported 33 homicides in 2009, including one that occurred in 2008 but was not ruled a homicide until this year.
Police had reported 73 homicides by the same time last year, according to Williams.
