MAN KILLED IN BURGLARY WAS VETERINARIAN
Clark Kelly, 88, had longtime practice; suspect arrested
The 88-year-old man killed in an apparent burglary attempt last week was a beloved San Diego veterinarian who had taken care of families’ pets for decades.
Police identified the victim on Sunday as Clark Kelly, who was a veterinarian at Boulevard Animal Clinic on El Cajon Boulevard in the Rolando area.
Kelly was “just the kindest, most gentle veterinarian you could ask for,” said Susan Hopps-Tatum, whose family had been taking pets to Kelly for more than three decades.
Clients said Kelly’s clinic was a family-friendly small business and a staple in the community that served generations of pets for families.
Those who knew Kelly created a memorial of handwritten notes, flowers and pictures of their pets on the chain-link fence that surrounded the one-story clinic. One note read, “Thank you for your care and kindness to generations of pets,” and another read, “You were a special beacon of light to our community.”
Kelly was soft-spoken and friendly, and he had a way with animals where he could make nervous pets feel comfortable, Hopps-Tatum said.
Kelly was the kind of veterinarian who would remember your pets’ names and call you back himself if you had a question, said Lydia Krasner and her daughter Eliana Krasner, whose family had taken their six boxers and five cats to Kelly over the course of 30 years.
The Krasner family said they were shocked to hear that Kelly was killed.
“I just think that it was a senseless act and the community is really going to miss him, because he was an amazing man,” Lydia Krasner said.
Homicide Lt. Steve Shebloski said Kelly called police Wednesday afternoon to say he thought someone was breaking into his clinic. Investigators believe Kelly got into an altercation with the intruder and suffered multiple injuries, including a head wound. Kelly died after being taken to a nearby hospital.
A concerned citizen had detained a man outside the clinic before officers arrived. Patrick O’Brien, a 37-yearold San Diego resident, was arrested on suspicion of murder and is being held without bail in county jail.