SAN FRANCISCO, CA (607NewsNow) — An Ithaca man has died in California.

The San Francisco Standard reports Colden Kimber was killed Saturday while waiting for a train with his girlfriend in Ingleside. Prosecutors say Kimber, who was 28, protected women and children from Sean Collins, who was allegedly harassing the group. Collins is accused of fatally stabbing Kimber, who moved to California from Ithaca five years ago.

Kimber’s mother Lara Litchfield-Kimber tells the paper her son’s life-saving actions weren’t surprising, “He would definitely do that without hesitation. That does square with everything I know about him. He was a very protective big brother, and he was very protective of me.” Litchfield-Kimber launched a GoFundMe to help raise money for memorial services in New York and California, and to attend the trial. They’ve raised over 90% toward their $140,000 goal.

29-year-old Collins is charged with murder.