RICHMOND, Va. -- A father of two was murdered in an incident at a convenience store in Richmond last week, and the suspected killer is now fighting for his life at VCU Medical Center.
Last week, police were called to a Broad Rock Boulevard convenience store for a report of gunshots fired.
Taron Irby, a devoted father of two young girls, was killed inside the convenience store. The medical examiner confirmed that he was killed in a stabbing.
"I'm trying to stay strong for the kids. It's heartbreaking to see that they'll have to grow up fatherless,” said the mother of Taron's one-year-old by phone.
She said the 29-year-old was a tremendous dad and everything he did in life was about family.
Crime Insider sources told Jon Burkett that the night of Taron's death, there was an argument that led up to the stabbing.
One of Taron's friends walked in on the killing, and sources said that he opened fire on the suspected killer who had the knife. One of the bullets also sent a bystander to the hospital with a gunshot wound that is not life-threatening.
"If that shot never hit anyone else, then it would clearly be a justified shooting. But an innocent bystander was injured in with a ricochet, or however, it happened. You've got to take into consideration, that it's inside a business, the number of shots fired, the number of people around at the time. It puts a greater burden on the shooter," CBS 6 legal expert Todd Stone said.
Sources told Jon Burkett that the suspected killer is in critical condition and if he survives, Stone believes the Commonwealth will let a grand jury decide what happens next.
"Virginia law allows the use of deadly force when someone's life is in jeopardy as it was in this case, so the level of force is not the problem,” said Stone. “The problem comes in which the manner it was used, so there's a potential issue with negligence. That's something a Commonwealth’s attorney may put on to a grand jury to see if it's worth indicting."
Taron Irby's going home service is Saturday.
His mom created a GoFundMe to help with the unexpected funeral cost.
