Two men are in custody after a stabbing death inside the Target store in Hayward Christmas Eve night, according to police.
Sgt. Ruben Pola said the 36-year-old Hayward man was seen fighting inside the store on Whipple Road on Dec. 24 at 8 p.m. shortly before the stabbing.
When police arrived at the store, they helped take the victim to Eden Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
"It's shocking it happened Christmas Eve," shopper and Hayward resident Lenee Hallman said. "It's shocking it happened here."
Police did not say where in the store the stabbing occurred, but employees told NBC Bay Area it happened in the back of the store, near the toy department. Witnesses reported seeing the victim fighting with two men moments before he was stabbed.
"It's kind of savagery," said Blaise Bayens, of Union City. "What could someone do to make them stab someone to death?"
Police arrested two men in the 30000 block of Industrial Parkway whom they believe are responsible for the death. Pola did not elaborate what links these suspects to the homicide. He also did not identify the suspects or the man who died, saying his department was awaiting formal charges to be filed by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.
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Because Monday was a government holiday, police will submit the case to the DA's office first thing Tuesday morning.
The stabbing was Hayward's 13th homicide of the year.
