 Hopf dichotomy with classical regularity away from the zero set

Let $v\le 0$ be $C^1$ on a connected domain and $C^2$ away from its zero set, with $\Delta v+v=0$ wherever $v<0$. If negative and zero points coexist, an interior Euclidean ball in $\{v<0\}$ touches its zero set. On that Euclidean ball $\Delta v=-v>0$, so the Hopf boundary point lemma forces a nonzero derivative at an interior maximum, contrary to $Dv=0$. Thus $v$ is identically zero or strictly negative. Mere Lipschitz continuity does not suffice: $-\max \{\sin x_1,0\}$ on $(-1,1{)}^n$ has both negative and zero regions.