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Homeless man killed in shopping center parking lot

Posted at 12:54 PM, May 23, 2012
and last updated 2012-05-23 12:55:02-04
Earl's Shopping Center (PHOTO: Google Maps)

Earl’s Shopping Center (PHOTO: Google Maps)

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) – A homeless man was shot and killed in a shopping center parking lot after he attacked another man who refused to give him money, according to a press release from Stafford County Sheriff Charles Jett.

The shooting occurred Tuesday around 11:00 p.m outside Earl’s Shopping Center along the 300 Chatham Heights Road in Falmouth, the sheriff said.

The deceased, identified as 29-year-old Christopher Rigby, attacked a man who was sitting with a woman in a car. The man and two witnesses said 20 minutes after refusing to give Rigby money, Rigby approached the car again in an “aggressive manner.”

Investigators said when Rigby attempted to stab the man through the driver’s window, the man grabbed a gun from the glove box and fired.

The man told the woman in his car to call 911. When deputies arrived they found Rigby’s body on the pavement and a knife nearby.

The shooter and the woman he was with were also there when deputies arrived and cooperated with the investigation. A man who was with Rigby just before he was shot said Rigby was upset he was denied money and went back to the car to get revenge. Investigators described that witness as Rigby’s friend.

Investigators said the man with the gun had a valid concealed weapons permit.

No charges have been filed in the shooting, Sheriff Jett said the situation remains under investigation.