‘The realest person at Skyline,’ Carlo Tateo was a mentor to many
By Gisell Hernandez-Noyola
This past summer, Skyline lost a beloved staff member and alumnus, PE teacher and coach Carlo Tateo. Early on the morning of June 18, Father’s Day, Tateo was gunned down by an apparent stranger outside a San Francisco nightclub.
“He was a very caring person who is truly missed,” said Coach Salazar.
Tateo, a 31-year-old father who worked at Skyline for three years and himself graduated from the school a decade before, was treated for his injury on the scene, but later passed away at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. He leaves behind a partner and two-year-old daughter.
Students and staff saw Tateo as a caring friend who would put others first. Tateo was well known for being kind hearted and filled with lots of life and energy. He strived to help troubled teens find a correct path in life.
“When I would skip [class] he would give me advice and was always there when I needed someone to talk to,” said Estrella Amezcua. “He would make me laugh.”
Even Skyline students who didn’t know him through his football coaching appreciated and had a great amount of respect towards him because of the type of person he was.
“Tateo’s laugh and smile [would] lighten up the room,” said Claire Chao. “[He was] the realest person at Skyline.”
Hundreds of students, teachers and other staff gathered in the gym two days after the shooting to mourn, even though school had closed for the summer break. Standing in an oval around the basketball court, individuals took turns sharing their favorite memories of their late mentor, friend, teacher, coach and colleague.
Calling him a campus “prophet,” Coach Bates called Tateo’s character “second-to-none,” according the East Bay Times. “He was able to connect instantly with toddlers, infants, teenagers, peers, people of like age, different age and the elderly. It was natural for him. He could blend with any group.”
According to the SFPD, the investigation is still open and they are still searching for those responsible. On September 20, the department released surveillance video of three “persons of interest” in the case who had been loitering in the area where the shooting took place.
“We do not believe that the suspects or Mr. Tateo had ever met before,” McEachern told reporters. “Those individuals (the three wanted for questioning) had been in the area for about an hour (before the shooting) – talking with patrons coming and going from the area so it wasn’t as if they had just shown up and got out of a car.” Police would not reveal which of the three they suspected, but said they had identified the gunman.
Unfortunately, as of mid-December, there had been no announcement of developments.
“His life was about helping young kids, kids in trouble,” Tateo’s uncle Don Apperson told CBS News. “He worked at a recreational center in East Oakland where he helped troubled teens in the area to get their lives together.”
Tateo’s family is hoping the community will help police find the killer or killers.
“If you recognize someone, please make a phone call. We don’t want this to happen to another family,” Sonja Tateo said.
The Titan Times 