John Bambic, an 84-year-old resident of San Francisco, was shot and killed at the intersection of Ninth and Howard Streets on January 28, 1974. Witnesses later identified the assailant as J.C. Simon, who fled in a waiting Cadillac with two other men.

Bambic’s killing was one of a series of racially motivated attacks in San Francisco during 1973–1974 known as the Zebra murders. The spree, carried out by a group that called itself the Death Angels, targeted white victims and began in October 1973; it left at least 15 people dead and eight wounded. The four men later identified in connection with the campaign were Manuel Moore, Larry Green, Jessie Lee Cooks, and J.C. Simon.

Authorities charged the four with multiple counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder; the subsequent trial ended in convictions and life sentences. An informant who provided key details received immunity and entered a witness protection program with his family.