Friends of a bouncer allegedly run down and killed on the job were asking themselves Thursday why they weren't able to protect him the way he'd protected them for years.

People who knew 64-year-old Leroy Fisher described him as a down-to-earth, soft-spoken security guard who could de-escalate most bad situations just by talking. His calm demeanor, helpful advice and age earned him the nickname "Pops" at the four gay bars at which he coordinated security.

When fights did break out, Fisher jumped right in to break them up. That earned him the love and respect of many in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, who mourned him at a candlelight vigil Wednesday night. But that also brought him fear — a fear of retribution.

"He told us he knew his time was coming," said Olivia Shafer, 21, as she stood beside a shrine near where he died. "It just sucks, 'cause we weren't here."

Shafer and other regulars, as well as bar employees, stepped in to help Fisher on many occasions, she said. They say they can't understand why he was alone early Wednesday when he was reportedly run down by a car in a parking lot behind the gay dance club Badlands.

A 23-year-old club regular was being held in Sacramento County Jail Thursday after being charged with Fisher's murder. Police believe Michael Weisz of Sacramento ran Fisher down after being kicked out of the club, said Sgt. Norm Leong, Sacramento Police Department spokesman.

Midtown resident George Raya always hired Fisher, who operated Leroy Fisher Private Security, to work at dances sponsored by Capital Crossroads Gay Rodeo Association. He called Fisher a "super-good guy" who was very friendly.

Weisz, who is gay, seemed to be known by everyone at the bar.

"He has a bad reputation," Raya said. "He's just this wild 23 year old who gets drunk and doesn't act considerate."

Gay bars usually are free of violence, said Bill Burgua, who is active in Sacramento's gay community.

"It's not usual to have fights break out in gay bars. That's pretty unheard of," he said. "It's very, very sad that somebody could take out their anger in this way."

Weisz and a friend who was a passenger in the car turned themselves in to Sacramento detectives at a San Francisco police station shortly before noon Wednesday. Fisher and a second security guard had removed the men from the bar roughly between 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m. because they weren't acting appropriately, Leong said.

Police called to the scene found Fisher lying injured in the parking lot of Badlands, which sits near the corner of 20th and K streets in a trendy neighborhood nicknamed "Lavender Heights" for its concentration of gay-owned businesses. Fisher died of his injuries at U.C. Davis Medical Center, police said.

The passenger, who lives in Sacramento, has not been charged in connection with the crime. Police, who are still investigating, are not releasing his name, photos or additional information, Leong said. Detectives are searching for additional witnesses.

"We're hoping there's some witness that saw what happened who will come forward now," Leong said. "We still need any witnesses that might have seen anything in that back parking area."

An estimated 100 people turned out Wednesday night for the vigil held at a shrine dedicated to Fisher on a grassy area next to the parking lot that Badlands shares with The Depot Video Club. Thursday afternoon, people stopped by to leave flowers, write notes and pay their respects.

"I guess God needed him more than I did. RIP. I (heart) you Pops!" read one note.

A trust fund to help Fisher's wife and son is being established, and a memorial is being arranged, said T.J. Bruce, who owns The Depot Video Club, Badlands and Hot Rods, a burger-and-hot-dog joint next door. Bruce said he did not know Weisz.

Fisher had provided security services for Bruce's businesses for eight years, and also worked many gay and lesbian events.

"We loved him," Bruce said. "He was basically a neighborhood fixture."

Fisher was kind to many people, calling taxis if they were too drunk to drive and giving out Sugar Daddy candy, said Matthew Windsor, who visited the shrine Thursday.

"He was a good and generous man," Windsor said.

The security guard was known to wear a cowboy hat with devil's horns and tell people that he wore the hat because he was horny. Fisher admired the ladies and shared his wisdom with Shafer and other young people in the club crowd, said Shafer, who knew him nearly five years. After his death, she wrote "RIP Pops" on her neck, and said she is considering getting a tattoo in his memory.

"He was a loved man, and that's why we don't understand why he was killed," she said.

Candlelight vigil photo provided by Nathan Feldman. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.