Help Steven and Bear After Brutal Attack at Jimmy John's

Monday evening, December 16th around 8:30 pm, two individuals, Tyree Blue-Murphy and Damon Robinson, brutally and senselessly attacked Steven McDonald at his workplace in downtown Pittsburgh - Jimmy John's on Penn Avenue.

Many people from the community have been compassionate and reached out asking if his service dog Bear was injured in the attack. Luckily, Bear is unscathed. His Dad (Steve) sustained several very serious injuries and was transported to the intensive care unit.

Steven was highly sedated due to the advanced nature of his head/facial trauma and was intubated until early Tuesday afternoon. He has been slowly regaining consciousness, and UPMC's ICU medical team has been wonderful in providing specialized care to ensure Steven's recovery. There are many reconstructive surgeries needed to repair the massive damage these thoughtless criminals caused to Steven. His friends and family are preparing themselves to be his support team when the psychological trauma emerges, which is inevitable.

His road to recovery is anticipated to be a lengthy journey. Steven has been proud to support his family and to be a vibrant member of the community. He will ultimately be faced with thousands of dollars in medical bills, lack of employment, and homelessness.

If you can help in any way, please consider donating towards Steven and Bear. We will be posting updates to show how your kindness and support can be priceless to someone who has gone through immense trauma. Let's help Steve and Bear get through this horrible incident to shine bright and thrive once again.

Edit: The two main assailants were not Jimmy John's employees as news stations initally reported. The third assailant, Melvin Robinson, was the manager on duty at Jimmy John's on Penn Avenue and a relative of Damon Robinson. We JUST found out that Melvin was involved in Steve's assault at a preliminary hearing earlier this January and has been arrested.