Knife-Wielding Panhandler Fatally Shot

A panhandler who Stafford County deputies believe might have become enraged when he was denied money allegedly tried to attack the man with a knife before he was fatally shot in the parking lot of Earl's Shopping Center on Chatham Heights Road Tuesday night. 

Stafford County Sheriff's Office spokesman Bill Kennedy said Christopher Rigby, 29, of no fixed address, died at Mary Washington Hospital.

Kennedy said a 911 call came in at 11 p.m. by a female who reported that the man she was with had just shot a panhandler who allegedly tried to attack him with a knife. Both the man and the woman were still in the vehicle when the alleged attack happened at 300 Chatham Heights Road in Falmouth in South Stafford County. When deputies arrived, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. The body was on the pavement next to the vehicle that the shooter owns.

"Near the body, lying on the pavement was a knife," Kennedy said. "The shooter in this case was also standing next to the vehicle with weapon in hand when deputies arrived. He immediately surrendered the weapon and was detained being completely cooperative during the investigation."

The woman who called 911 was a passenger in the car, Kennedy said. The man and woman told detectives that they were talking in the vehicle when two men walked across the parking lot. One of those men, Rigby, approached the vehicle and asked for money, but he was told to move on, Kennedy said.

"Approximately 15 to 20 minutes later, the couple observed the man again as he surprised them by approaching the driver’s side of the car from the rear in an aggressive manner," Kennedy said. "He allegedly attacked the driver through the driver’s window and attempted to stab him without provocation. The attacked driver, while attempting to fight his assailant off, was able to retrieve a handgun located in the glove box of the car. He fired the weapon at his attacker who was hit and fell to the ground. He instructed his female companion to call 911 and stepped from the car to see the second man, who did not participate in the attack, flee on foot."

The man who fired the gun was not seriously injured, but he did have some wounds that Kennedy said were consistent with being involved in a struggle. Deputies were able to locate the second man who ran from the scene, and Kennedy said the man provided a statement to detectives that supported the information provided by the shooter and the woman who was with him during the incident.

"According to the second man, the deceased became increasingly enraged over being denied money and returned to seek revenge," Kennedy said. "The second man described the deceased as the aggressor even though they were friends."

Kennedy said the shooter does have a valid concealed weapons permit. The names of the couple were not released and no charges were filed, but Kennedy said detectives are still investigating the incident.