Pair arrested after constru­ction worker’s death

San Francisco police Monday released the names of two suspects arrested following the fatal stabbing of a construction worker in The City’s South of Market neighborhood on Friday morning.

Lizette Cauich, a 23-year-old Los Angeles resident, was arrested on suspicion of homicide for the killing of Mitzi Campbell, 58, while Oscar Mendez, 42, also of Los Angeles, was arrested for outstanding warrants as well as illegal possession of a weapon and narcotics, police spokeswoman Officer Grace Gatpandan said.

Police had responded shortly before 9:30 a.m. Friday to the 300 block of Fifth Street. Campbell, a San Francisco resident, was working at a nearby site on Shipley Street, an alley between Harrison and Folsom streets.

After an argument with a man and woman there, she escorted the pair away from the site and when she didn’t come back right away, co-workers went looking for her and found her stabbed, police said.

The co-workers saw the man and woman, later identified as Mendez and Cauich, walking away and tried to stop them. They followed them to the area of Fifth and Folsom streets, where officers arrived and arrested them, according to police.

Campbell was taken to a hospital but died there shortly afterward.

Cauich was arrested on suspicion of homicide, while Mendez was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed dirk or dagger, possession of a controlled substance, receiving stolen property, giving false information to an officer and outstanding felony warrants from Los Angeles for assault with a deadly weapon and domestic violence, Gatpandan said.

Gatpandan said more information on what led to the stabbing was not immediately being released by police.

Mayor Ed Lee issued a statement later Friday about the case, noting that Campbell was a 2013 graduate of San Francisco’s CityBuild construction job training program and was a member of Laborers Local 261.

Lee said:

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with her family, friends and colleagues during this time of mourning and sorrow.”