Smatterings of blood cover the sidewalk in front of Starbucks and inside its doorway
Paul Wellman

Right now, at 10 a.m. Friday morning, there is a thick trail of blood that runs between the Starbucks coffee house on the corner of State and Victoria streets and the back of nearby Peoples’ Self-Help Housing at 26 East Victoria Street.

A small area of pavement behind Peoples’ Self-Help Housing looks like it was recently cleaned, but the trail appears again in the parking area, continues through an adjacent breezeway onto the east side of State Street, runs north along State, crosses the street, then ends inside the Starbucks, which is closed. A puddle of blood is visible through the locked doorway.

A police spokesperson said she was unaware of any recent violent incident in the area, and suggested more information may be available in the next hour. A Starbucks employee declined to comment. Peoples’ Self-Help Housing was not immediately reachable by phone.

Check back for updates.

[UPDATE, 12 p.m.]: Rochelle Rose with Peoples’ Self-Help Housing explained that one of their tenants experienced a medical emergency at the Starbucks this morning and walked back to their location to seek help. The man remains in the hospital, she said. Rose declined to offer additional details on the incident, citing the issue as a private medical matter.

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