During an armed robbery in Vallejo, California, 70-year-old Marine Corps veteran Robert Sundin was shot and killed.
“He saved my life. That’s the type of person he was. He saved my life. I will always consider him my guardian angel,” Teresa Brasher said about Sundin.
During the weekdays, Sundin would arrive at Scotty’s Restaurant at Tennessee and Tuolumne streets at 5:30 a.m., where he worked in the VA healthcare system.
The Lord wasn’t ready for me. However, they had a place for Bob up there.”
Brasher noticed a man riding an electric scooter in a hoodie and ski mask that fateful Thursday morning.
“He came up to my door and pointed his finger at me. He was pointing at my purse. I don’t know if he used a finger or a gun.”
Sundin, a regular at Scotty’s, exited his vehicle at that point.
He continued, “The guy grabs Bob. I see Bob pulling away like that, and that’s when I heard the gunshot go off.”
The shooter fled the scene after killing Sundin.
Brasher added, “He’s my hero. He’ll always be my hero for life.”
The restaurant staff cooked Sundin’s regular order while he sat in the same seat every morning, reading the newspaper and making small talk.
Scotty’s owner, Nay Ung, said of Sundin, “He was just such a wonderful person. You feel comfortable talking to him.”
In Fairfield, Sundin volunteered at First Assembly of God.
In the words of Pastor Eric Lura, “If there was a need he saw at the church, he met it. He was the first person to arrive and last to leave.”