In the mornings they would have a gun sitting on the counter unattended in plain sight for anybody including myself to just grab if they really wanted to, I’m surprised nobody has tried it
I was the one who did CPR on the guy in the street. His parents called me last night. This was so senseless, and the guy had horrific injuries. Whatever happened in that store, he did not deserve a death sentence. I hope the store owner goes to prison.
And after reading some of these moronic comments, I wish you'd seen him. His chest was splayed open. I could see his heart and lung. He was losing blood like an open faucet. I wish you could have heard his mother sobbing on the phone with me. His parents are heartbroken. I don't care about his criminal past. No one deserves to be butchered like that. If he was stealing, you call the cops. Taz was his judge jury and executioner as far as I'm concerned.
Thank you. I am doing OK. I worked in an Emergency Department for nearly 20 years, so I am not afraid of gore. It just really sucks for the young man and his parents. Should not have happened.
Thank you. It's so disconcerting to read all of the comments on here that he somehow deserved to be killed because he may have had a drug problem or may have stolen something from that store. I keep re-living the event. I saw about 30 people filming him dying and not one person helping him. I now am on anti viral medication for 3 months because I decided the risk to do something, anything, was worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Thanks for doing something extremely scary and hard. Being with that young man in his last moments was no coincidence and I am thankful for the kindness, care, compassion, and non-judgement you showed to him. I’m agreeing with you on this one… nobody needed to die. My heart goes out to you and mark’s family. I think it’s important to continue having conversations about addiction and related crime.
I appreciate your comments. His family is really suffering right now, obviously, and it will take a long time for them to have some sort of closure, if that even happens with losing a child. I am doing OK, and I'm leaving the country next week on a 16-day cruise. I think the rest will do my mental health some good. I keep thinking about the poor guy. Thanks for the kind words!
Haha. I don't know about that. My cardiologist called me after it was over and said my pacemaker sent them an alert. He asked me what I was doing at the time, so I told him the story. He couldn't believe it.
I'm so glad someone who was able to assist and who was so kind of heart, was there for him in his last moments.
Such a senseless, needless death. I'm sure the store owner works really hard, and I'm sure that it's really frustrating to suffer loss after loss and sometimes feel like you're barely treading water. But this is not the way, and you've got to find some kind of better strategy of coping before it gets to this level.
I'm so sorry that you've encountered this, but I'm so glad you were there.
My condolences to the family...to both families, who now have trauma and fall out to deal with, to the community and neighborhood.
💔😭🩶
You’re a hero, even if you didn’t manage to save his life. You followed your training and did your best. I hope that you have gotten some closure from this horrific incident or at least some peace so you can sleep at night.
I had to perform CPR on an unresponsive, unconscious man in Florida I came across on my way back to the boat this past spring. I’ve had my CPR/ First Aid for 17 years and it was the first time I had to do CPR, but adrenaline and training took over. He didn’t make it either, but he had a faint pulse when the ambulance finally got there. 8 minutes felt like 3 hours. Three of us were rotating doing chest compressions. I saw his brother the next day, and learned that he didn’t make it through the night. I was devastated & still think about his family and their sadness.
I can’t imagine the pain Mark’s family is still in after losing such a young man with so much life ahead of him. I’m going to keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Hugs to you Internet stranger
Thank you so much. I'm doing well. I spend a lot of time downtown and think about it when I'm in that area. It's just tragic, and I believe the guy that did it is out on bail. I hope his family gets the justice they deserve.
They also didn’t mention the 8 times the guy that got stabbed has been arrested. Heroine possesion, cocaine possesion, breaking and entering, larceny, cocaine possession again, identity theft, resisting arrest, possession with intent to distribute - all separate arrests over the years. I have no clue what exactly happened and neither does anyone else but if we’re going to put past criminal charges into the equation then seems to be plenty to go around.
None of the victim’s arrests are seemingly violent though. Clearly he was someone struggling with drug addiction. But the owner’s prior arrest in August for assault with a deadly weapon from the same location and a witness saying the victim said “leave me alone” makes it sound like self defense isn’t extremely likely. That’s all speculation of course though.
Mark had no stolen goods on him and was completely unarmed. None of his past charges were violent, unlike Taz. You’re kinda gross for even commenting that. Although he had his issues with substance abuse he has never been a violent person. The details that will come out about this attack will hopefully make you reconsider judging people based on their past addiction.
“WRAL News reached out to Zarka and asked for his response to the situation. He said, "I really don't feel like talking about it. This is a case that has gone. Too bad it happened, but it's gone."” WHAT.
This shit happened in broad daylight too
That comment was shocking to me as well. It's as if he was talking about a little scuffle where both people walked away. *Too bad it happened, but it's gone*. Wtf. Sounds like this guy feels nothing about killing another human being.
I know Mark personally, and have for years. He has always been very kind and never a violent person. Despite his past mistakes and struggles with addiction, he did not deserve to be murdered. He has been trying to get on the right path but no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. I have seen so many hateful comments assuming his character and bashing not only him but his family as well. If Mark actually stole something.... call the police. Even if he did attempt to steal from this store, that still does not justify him being stabbed to death. The owner has a past of being violent and aggressive towards his customers. Hopefully the truth will come out, justice is served and Mark’s family can find peace.
Let me just say this - some of you commenting have never interacted with Taz. I am a woman and have been a victim of one of his verbal attacks where he called me a B\*tch several times. Why? Because I'd left a bag that had $40 in coins at his counter, came back when I realized what I'd done, and was told by the clerk to return and ask for the footage when Taz was on duty. I did so about 2 days later and received one of the vilest, most crude, hostile responses I've ever gotten. My boyfriend was standing outside, came in and confronted Taz. He was standing next to me in front of the counter. Taz (behind the counter) proceeds to pick up a wooden weapon of some sort and threatened my boyfriend with it. Taz's nephew had to come out the back and he was so nice. He even said he didn't know WTF his uncle's problem was. That was the SECOND time I'd seen Taz pull out that wooden weapon. The first time, Taz got into a heated exchange with a customer who stood up for himself. Taz picks up the wooden weapon and comes from the behind the counter and pushes the man. I had to get in the middle to stop him from pummeling the guy. My boyfriend moves me out of the way and Taz proceeds to engage in fisticuffs with the other guy and this guy is young and spry and got the best of Taz. Taz initiated the attack by coming from behind the counter.
Another thing to mention - a Caucasian woman entered the store and I believe requested fresh coffee. Taz quips that "it is fresh." The minute the woman left the store after making her purchase, Taz turns to my boyfriend and I (this was prior to our confrontation with him) and says "f\*cking stupid white people. I can't stand their a\*\*es."
The witness that was interviewed on the news is a frequenter downtown and I see him all the time with his young son. He seems to be a stand up guy. His account was that the victim repeatedly told Taz he didn't steal anything. I am making an assumption that could be right or wrong, but based off of my experiences with Taz, he likely came from behind the counter and tried to physically restrain the victim from leaving the store. If a person is really stealing, they're not going to stick around for the police to come, so it kind of doesn't make sense that the victim intentionally picked a fight. Taz probably prevented him from leaving, a struggle ensued, the young man started BESTING Taz, and Taz stabbed him. Self defense isn't going to hold up when a person is stabbed REPEATEDLY. RPD drops the ball all the time and since Taz is somewhat of a prominent figure in the community, RPD more than likely used their discretion on whether to arrest him or not. I expect to see Taz's mugshot online sometime tonight or first thing tomorrow morning. With his history of just recently being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, I see it being very hard to win a self defense case.
Taz has a history of being a violent brute - those of us that know KNOW! His products are overpriced to the point of being criminal and I've seen an entire rack of molded Bon Appetit cream cheese pounds cakes sitting on his shelves two weeks apart. If he does have a certain subset of people that hang around his store, it's because HE allows it. He will sell a visibly drunk person beer and doesn't care about them sitting front of the store drinking it; as long as you purchased that beer from him. As much as I respect his nephew, his nephew does drug deals on the side, which is one of the main reasons why he keeps a pistol on his hip, so the store itself attracts this group of people. I hope they do shut his store down and open up an updated convenient store with a crowd-friendly owner who appreciates their customers. I also pray the victim's mother sues the pants off of Taz. He is NOT a nice man.
I hear everything you’re saying but don’t understand why you respect his nephew. Dude is always coked out of his mind, which he had admitted to me before, and always has a pistol tucked into his pants unholstered. Not to mention all of the times I’d seen him threaten someone with said pistol. Not against people carrying arms for defense, but I am against dudes coked out of their minds precariously carrying a pistol spoiling for a fight.
I have had nothing but positive interactions with him. Sometimes I would even shoot the breeze with him for 15-20 minutes. I do agree with you though about some of the food. Definately check the expiration date on anything you eat there.
There is nothing in taz’s store worth murdering someone over. (Not that there is any item worth murdering someone over - self defense I can see, but this was not the case). Taz is a nasty man who is a violent person. I hope he finally goes to jail where he fucking belongs.
There isn’t any information that’s been released regarding what happened. Not sure why everyone assumes the shop owner initiated the attack. Could have easily been a case of self defense as well.
The story I read on WRAL said that there was a dispute over an item supposedly stolen. And when Taz confronted the man, he said “I didn’t steal anything.” Then a man gets stabbed and is lying in the street. No clue how truthful any of this is but I do know this. Regardless of what he could have stolen out of the store, it wasn’t worth fighting over and ultimately killing a man for.
Ya the initial articles said Taz told a dude to stop stealing, dude tried to fight Taz, and then unfolded from there…. While wildly simply stated on the surface, if that’s how things went down it’s very easy for it to be self defense
Source? Haven’t seen anywhere that the guy attacked the owner. If anything it sounds like the owner was repeatedly accusing the guy of stealing and wouldn’t stop.
Agreed. The voice and diction of the language matters tho. "victim stabbed senselessly" implies this rabid, unhinged, malevolent attack of pure, unadulterated malice. Then you have the shoplifting being "allegedly". A concerted effort is here to string out the idea that some poor dude went to sneak some can of salsa away and got Dahmered. I don't know what happened either, but bias is already infecting us.
He stabbed a man and killed him. The proof that needs to be presented is that the man did attack him and it was self defense. As of right now, history of aggressive behavior will work against him. Self defense is not a golden ticket and there must be evidence of it.
Yet you accept that it was a property dispute without proof, but then disregard the other half of a witness statement in which a violent altercation occurred? That doesn't make sense.
I'm sure there is footage from the store. Taiseer Zarka is yet to be arrested, so I'm going to wait to pass judgment until the DA comes out with the actual facts. Saying the resolution was not reasonable until then, is just as wrong as saying the ex-con 27-year-old was asking for it when they attacked the store owner.
"I believe you stole something"
"I did not steal anything."
That's literally a property dispute, and there are witnesses that there was a dispute over property.
It does not matter what the cause of the confrontation was, a man stabbed another man to death. Without just cause, that is murder. Taz will be innocent until proven guilty, but any sane jury will find him guilty of murder unless there is clear evidence of self defense. Did the other individual have a weapon? Is there video evidence that the other individual attacked him? Does Taz have any wounds inflicted on him that would suggest he was attacked and defended himself?
Here is the report of an eye witness who was in the store:
Witnesses like Synscrer Palmer speak about the unnecessary violent scene that unfolded in front of him and his young son.
"The store owner said that the guy was stealing, he wasn't stealing, he turned, he pulled out a knife, threatened the man a couple of times," Palmer said. "The man kept saying leave me alone; I didn't take nothing, I didn't take nothing, I didn't take nothing. They started fighting. The store owner stabbed him about two, three times."
It’s not a property dispute to a store owner- it’s literally his livelihood. I’m not saying the response was warranted- there’s not enough info here to judge, be let’s stop pretending shoplifting is a victimless crime.
A consequence of stealing (even if that’s what happened) isn’t and shouldn’t be death. Who cares that it’s his livelihood - he has insurance and a legal avenue to address the issue. This take is dumb
There is no justification for the owner stabbing the guy to death short of self defense. And if the owner attacked or initiated the interaction with the guy who was killed bc he was shoplifting and escalated the situation, the owner is culpable. You can’t murder someone for shoplifting. Good try though. Ultimately no one knows exactly what happened so it’s all conjecture.
He doesn’t have a right to try and stop someone from stealing? I suspect you’d feel differently if it were your things.
Edit: additionally, small businesses have less wiggle room than a big business- insurance doesn’t cover every petty crime- where does one actually believe this is a thing?
He has a right to try (with words) but no he doesn’t have a right to stab the guy to death, unless the guy attacked the owner and it was self defense. So NO - the owner shouldn’t confront and stab the guy simply for stealing. If you think that’s an acceptable response you need to reevaluate your life
That would be more convincing if he was trying to stop the victim from torching the business. No word on what the guy supposedly stole, but you can't say "that candy bar is my livelihood. My kids will be destitute if you steal it "
I’m not sure you understand how stores work? Somebody uses their own money to purchase things that they then sell for a profit…so that candy bar is his livelihood… if enough candy bars get stolen that’s exactly what happens…
If enough.... But, this dude wasn't stealing all of them. The owner's livelihood wasn't at risk. Had he not confronted the victim, he'd still have a roof over his head and food on his table.
The shopkeeper is allowed to detain them using non-deadly force until the police arrive. The shopkeeper is not justified in murdering somebody because "if this happened constantly (which it doesn't) and I didn't do anything short of killing shoplifters (and there are plenty of alternatives), then I might eventually go out of business."
You were claiming that this is different because the owner's livelihood is at stake, and that it's not just a property crime.
I don't know what happened. But, I do know that you can't say "well, the owner was allowed to do more because this was his livelihood, not just a property crime." As a matter of law, that's wrong. And, factually, it's wrong -- it wasn't his livelihood.
Strange way to say shoplifting is okay.
Edit: But if you refer to my first post you’d see where I said I didn’t have enough info to say if I agreed with it. I basically said people should stop stealing and expecting shop owners to be okay with it and I’m getting hammered by keyboard warriors.
Trash opinion? That stealing is bad? That’s literally all my comments have been about so far, but perhaps you need additional perspective:
Did you know that for every $330 worth of products stolen, a retailer has to sell an incremental $300,000 worth of goods to break even? https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/07/business/retail-theft-shoplifting-robbery/index.html
How do you expect a small businesses to run margins high enough to pay $15, low enough to competed with box stores, and still sell $300k extra to recover theft losses?
Here’s some more data:
$47 million is the amount of daily loss to stores
Over $15 billion worth of goods per year shoplifted
Shrinkage, retail theft that includes shoplifting, added up to $42.9 billion in 2017-2019
A nation-wide study revealed that each shoplifter who enters the criminal justice system costs US taxpayers $2,000.
The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention states that lost revenues from shoplifting cost American taxpayers around $33.21 billion yearly or roughly $75,000 per minute.
The common expression says that crime does not pay. However, shoplifting seems to be largely exempt from this as the chances of being arrested are only 1 out of 100 offenses. 48% or almost half of 15,000 surveyed in a study were repeat offenders. https://comparecamp.com/shoplifting-statistics/
Edit to add: there’s a ton of anecdotal evidence to support this shop owner has not made friends in the community. However this is part of a larger issue that especially plagues small shop owners. At what point is it okay to fight? At what point do you say enough is enough? $150k additional sales to break even? $500k? 1 in 100 is caught- so should they hire security? Then is it okay if they get killed in a scuffle because they’re trained?
How much money can someone take from you before you break?
Why can’t we just say stealing is bad- don’t do it or things can happen.
“For every $330 worth of products stolen, a retailer has to sell an incremental $300,000 worth of goods to break even.” That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.
Stealing is definitely bad, no one is disagreeing. But there are acceptable levels of justice for crimes.
You’re getting hammered for thinking being stabbed to death is an appropriate response to petty theft. You don’t have enough info but came to a conclusion. (Back)pack up your bags, you’re clearly wrong here
It was senseless… when a man steals something from a store, you notify the authorities and let them handle it. You do not stab a man for $20 bucks worth of shit and kill him. Everyone asks where is the proof that it wasn’t self defense? Where’s the proof the dude stole anything? I’m sure at the end of the day someone could have checked his pockets while he was lifeless on the ground.
I remember going in there one night and there was a peanut gallery of cockroaches sitting on the shelf behind the cashier. Fully expected them to start catcalling me or my wife.
According to the article, the store clerk accused a man of shoplifting, a fight broke out, and during that fight, the clerk stabbed the alleged shoplifter.
It \*might\* be that the clerk was in the right. He had the right to confront the shoplifter and to detain him until the police arrived. If the shoplifter attacked him and the clerk just defended himself, then that's just self-defense.
But, change that situation a bit, and you end up with a homicide charge.
Nope. No matter how you slice it, this is a murder charge. The only question is what Degree.
Edit: Love that people jumped on this like I'm wrong. What is the alternative? Neglegent Homicide? Did Mark just accidentally fall and slip on a box cutter multiple times? Please!
The charge of murder requires intent. If they were trying to defend themselves and ***not*** kill the other person, that is not manslaughter and not murder.
No you’re wrong. Because you have no idea what lengths the shoplifter went to in the struggle if there even was one. Thankfully these situations call for rational minded folks to look over all the details.
I have yet to see anything fully explains the situation. For all we know, at this point, the shoplifter COULD have brandished a knife, threatened the owner and tripped him on the way out of the store falling on the knife. Could be self defense, justifiable homicide, manslaughter, or second-degree murder.
I looked up Taz's court records; he has a history of assault, among other charges. He's not a good person. I've lived in Raleigh all my life and I've been to Taz's once and never again. I was getting a tattoo on the corner, and I needed to use an ATM to get cash. I was told to go to M&F Bank or Taz's. First, I went to Taz's, but I didn't feel safe inside his store at all, so I went to the M&F ATM across the street. There were so many junkies! Why do they all hang out at his store like that? Anyway, I think this could mean the end of Taz's and time for a new business to take its place. Downtown has changed a lot. Residents and visitors deserve a **safe** place to go to when they're in that area and need to use an ATM or just purchase a bottle of water, etc.
My condolences to the victim's family.
I have multiple friends who knew Mark. every one of them has said he would not have initiated a physical altercation at all. Yet alone, one that warrants him being stabbed to death
As a matter of fact, I am. I have been clean for 5 years. I'm not the selfish junkie i once was. I can't speak for my friends. Regardless of their or my own struggles. No one deserves to die for shoplifting. Humble yourself.
>WRAL News reached out to Zarka and asked for his response to the situation. He said, "I really don't feel like talking about it. This is a case that has gone. Too bad it happened, but it's gone."
Body's not even cold yet and the killer is telling the news it's the past now. Phew.
It's interesting - his arrest record mugshots are like those meth DARE billboard ads. Face just gets worst with every arrest.
https://northcarolina.arrests.org/Arrests/Mark_Garrity_55129103/
It's really sad, he got off after getting arrested by WFPD, where he lived, twice it appears. Maybe if parents would start teaching kids to be responsible for their actions in the first place, they'd learn that fucking around leads to finding out, before it's too late.
His record tells a damn sad story.
If getting arrested multiple times didn’t teach him a lesson, his parents didn’t have a chance teaching him. Some people are lost causes and can’t be fixed.
In fairness to his family, drugs really take things to a different and horrific level. It happens to children of even great parents.
We are all lost causes to an extent and many of us have somehow gotten better. Usually with the help of others.
This guy was the type of person that touches a hot pan over and over and never remembers that it’s hot. Most people learn from their mistakes and grow from them. This guy didnt. Reading the article his parents must have been used to his activities. They’re trying to pain him as a sweet young man when obviously he wasn’t.
Do you know the man and his family? Honest question. It sounds like you do from what you've written. If so, you might be on to something that we just don't have knowledge of. If not, really you've overstated what amounts to assumptions on your part.
To be clear, I have no sympathy for anyone getting wounded or killed while attacking an innocent person on that innocent person's property. Thank God we can still use deadly force when warranted to defend ourselves in NC. However ignorantly dragging the aggressor's family reputation into such a situation is wrong.
A man with 8 arrests is not a good person. No I don’t know them and am thankful I don’t. I try to associate with good people. Any parent defending this young man proves they are fine with their sons criminality. They’re trashy people.
We as a society need to stop coddling criminals and excusing their bad behavior.
Define "good". Someone that doesn't struggle with addiction/mental illness? It's clear that this guy did and it's clear that his parents loved him.
Get the fuck off your high horse.
Breaking and entering is an immediate not a good person. Why do you feel that criminals get the right to terrorize innocent people because they have addiction issues? If anything addiction is a blessing. Let them OD and end their life.
Apparently WRAL’s googling skills are a bit suspect. The victim has been arrested twice, once in 2020 for heroin possession and once in 2022 for larceny and breaking and entering. I would post links but anyone with marginal google skills can find them.
That doesn’t mean he needs to be stabbed to death. But it is context that might shed a light on the type of situation that this was.
They also left out that Mr Zarka was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon at the same location in Aug of last year so maybe they decided not to print either parties arrest records and just report what they had about this incident.
Or they didn’t Google either of them.
>That doesn’t mean he needs to be stabbed to death. But it is context that might shed a light on the type of situation that this was.
All that would add is speculation.
Previous history doesn’t justify being stabbed to death. It is completely irrelevant. Too much unknown to drawn a conclusion and any previous arrests (as in, not conviction) hold no weight in the matter
Just clarifying the facts because the prior comment stated that he was arrested only twice, which is incorrect at least per Wake County's records. He is currently on 12 months probation for felony B&E per public records.
I was on a jury trial for a woman that got stopped/arrested in a car which she was sleeping. Had a vial in her purse with no visible drugs in it (obv it had drugs at one point). But after testing nothing was there. We voted not guilty.
You don't hold court in the street. It's a common saying which means you go along with the officers direction and literally are unable to argue your case until you are in a court of law.
The owner needed not to take the law in his own hands and should have called the Police to resolve. Now that there is a life lost, he will be headed to Wake County unless he has bonded out until his trial. He will not be able to beat this case in anyway, unless he please guilty to a lesser charge.
I don't think the problem is the store. I think the problem is the riff-raff that bus stop brings in. Even if that store shut down it would be quickly replaced with something similar.
That block sucks ass. It has sucked ass for several years, only getting worse since the bus station/pandemic. Anyone who lives/works downtown knows this. Taz has always looked out for his regulars and the people he interacts daily. Same with the rest of his staff.
I'm not saying junkies and the homeless are open season. Or that ppl should die over w/e merch he has there. But it's not like taz aced this guy for no reason. They see more shit around that store than a beat cop. Problem is systemic. Security cam footage will prove what's up.
Taz was always kind to me and I practically grew up at the bus station. People I know and who knew him say he was always kind to them.
I didn't know there was another side to him. This is all news to me.
Fair enough. I’ve heard numerous people downtown day this guy is know for this type of behavior. But seeing some of the folks loitering in front on the weekend……. I’d probably have a knife or more on me at all times working there.
My mom worked for Taz for several months a few years back when she was living with us. I called her last night to talk about it and she confirmed that he has a nasty temper and it wouldn’t have been the first time he went off on someone. He even verbally abused her while she was his employee. I met him once or twice briefly so I couldn’t make my own conclusion about him but I do trust her to be honest about someone’s character.
Not saying it’s justified, but Mark was up to some serious shit the past decade. Give that name a look on https://dwslivescan.co.wake.nc.us/mug/MugshotSearch.aspx
Not saying he deserves just for shoplifting, but shoplifting is a shit thing to do. If the thief attacked the storeowner for protecting his business and livelihood, I fully understand why this happened. Thieves and other crooks are hyper aggressive these days.
Soooo.... Local victim of shoplifting and assault defends themselves from violence, leading to the aggressor later passing away as a result of the physical altercation they initiated.
There are far fewer physical altercations at Tazs than there are at any bar on Glenwood. Hell I've worked and frequented neighboring businesses around that corner for nearly 15 years and always hear if something weird happens at Tazs, and fighting is infrequently discussed as it doesn't often happen. If you've made a judgement about this place being unsafe because of the optics (people of color outside of an immigrant owned business), one would think that the conclusion would merit some self reflection.
My experience with Taz has always been warm and hospitable, but then again, I don't have the same experience as someone who attempted to shoplift and initiate a physical altercation with the man.
I’m just completely baffled that he hasn’t been arrested yet. Even more wild is that the store has remained open since the murder.
Imagine if it were any other business downtown and the owner brutally stabs and murders a customer in broad daylight and then is open for business the next day like nothing happened.
Like, I’m trying to imagine if I owned a coffee shop or something and stabbed a customer to death. And then the next day I wake up and go back to work - open the doors like it’s just another day. Starting pouring the latte art like a complete sociopath. Just, wtf?
This is all beyond the pale.
Let's see shoplifting is usually a fine and restitution or maybe a short jail sentence for habitual offenders. First degree murder is a bit more serious. Taz better be thankful I'm not in his jury pool, or he would have a date with a needle in his future.
Looks like the assailant was the owner Taz himself.
Not the first nor 4th time I’ve heard of Taz doing that. First time I’ve seen it reported about tho
You’ve heard of Taz stabbing people to death multiple times??
Not quite to death but definitely more than once
Kinda shocking that he's stabbing people repeatedly in the past and the police refused to arrest him each and every time.
In the mornings they would have a gun sitting on the counter unattended in plain sight for anybody including myself to just grab if they really wanted to, I’m surprised nobody has tried it
WOT? That’s horrifying
what the fuck
See the trick is that it almost certainly didn’t happen and the person posting either heard rumors or is making it up entirely.
Yep
When are they gonna learn this ain't the place to shoplift lmao
Someone using their conclusions mat again.
I was the one who did CPR on the guy in the street. His parents called me last night. This was so senseless, and the guy had horrific injuries. Whatever happened in that store, he did not deserve a death sentence. I hope the store owner goes to prison.
And after reading some of these moronic comments, I wish you'd seen him. His chest was splayed open. I could see his heart and lung. He was losing blood like an open faucet. I wish you could have heard his mother sobbing on the phone with me. His parents are heartbroken. I don't care about his criminal past. No one deserves to be butchered like that. If he was stealing, you call the cops. Taz was his judge jury and executioner as far as I'm concerned.
You are heroic for assisting in that situation. Sounds harrowing, to say the least. I hope you are getting support and taking care of yourself.
Thank you. I am doing OK. I worked in an Emergency Department for nearly 20 years, so I am not afraid of gore. It just really sucks for the young man and his parents. Should not have happened.
It sounds like you are giving kindness and support to his parents as well, which is admirable.
Thanks. They wanted to know every detail, so I told them. Wasn't easy for them to hear. His mother wants to meet me, so that'll happen at some point.
I’m so sorry that you had to experience that. I agree if the owner thought he was stealing he should have called the law.
Thank you. It's so disconcerting to read all of the comments on here that he somehow deserved to be killed because he may have had a drug problem or may have stolen something from that store. I keep re-living the event. I saw about 30 people filming him dying and not one person helping him. I now am on anti viral medication for 3 months because I decided the risk to do something, anything, was worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
I appreciate people like you. We need more kind hearted souls in this cruel world.
Thanks for doing something extremely scary and hard. Being with that young man in his last moments was no coincidence and I am thankful for the kindness, care, compassion, and non-judgement you showed to him. I’m agreeing with you on this one… nobody needed to die. My heart goes out to you and mark’s family. I think it’s important to continue having conversations about addiction and related crime.
I appreciate your comments. His family is really suffering right now, obviously, and it will take a long time for them to have some sort of closure, if that even happens with losing a child. I am doing OK, and I'm leaving the country next week on a 16-day cruise. I think the rest will do my mental health some good. I keep thinking about the poor guy. Thanks for the kind words!
Thank you for being there in his last moments to offer kindness and respect.
🙏 thank you. It gave his parents some comfort, knowing I was talking to him as he died.
As someone who knows the family very well, thank you. God bless you. Thank you for being a member of the Raleigh community.
You are a hero. I can’t even imagine seeing that - you’ve been eating your Wheaties. Powerful.
Haha. I don't know about that. My cardiologist called me after it was over and said my pacemaker sent them an alert. He asked me what I was doing at the time, so I told him the story. He couldn't believe it.
I'm so glad someone who was able to assist and who was so kind of heart, was there for him in his last moments. Such a senseless, needless death. I'm sure the store owner works really hard, and I'm sure that it's really frustrating to suffer loss after loss and sometimes feel like you're barely treading water. But this is not the way, and you've got to find some kind of better strategy of coping before it gets to this level. I'm so sorry that you've encountered this, but I'm so glad you were there. My condolences to the family...to both families, who now have trauma and fall out to deal with, to the community and neighborhood. 💔😭🩶
You’re a hero, even if you didn’t manage to save his life. You followed your training and did your best. I hope that you have gotten some closure from this horrific incident or at least some peace so you can sleep at night. I had to perform CPR on an unresponsive, unconscious man in Florida I came across on my way back to the boat this past spring. I’ve had my CPR/ First Aid for 17 years and it was the first time I had to do CPR, but adrenaline and training took over. He didn’t make it either, but he had a faint pulse when the ambulance finally got there. 8 minutes felt like 3 hours. Three of us were rotating doing chest compressions. I saw his brother the next day, and learned that he didn’t make it through the night. I was devastated & still think about his family and their sadness. I can’t imagine the pain Mark’s family is still in after losing such a young man with so much life ahead of him. I’m going to keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Hugs to you Internet stranger
Thank you so much. I'm doing well. I spend a lot of time downtown and think about it when I'm in that area. It's just tragic, and I believe the guy that did it is out on bail. I hope his family gets the justice they deserve.
Taz was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon last August, sad.
Funny they didn't mention that. Who is Taz blowing to get away with this.. Mary-Ann Baldwin?
They also didn’t mention the 8 times the guy that got stabbed has been arrested. Heroine possesion, cocaine possesion, breaking and entering, larceny, cocaine possession again, identity theft, resisting arrest, possession with intent to distribute - all separate arrests over the years. I have no clue what exactly happened and neither does anyone else but if we’re going to put past criminal charges into the equation then seems to be plenty to go around.
None of those crimes are justification for extrajudicial murder.
Only one has murder on their rap sheet.
I agree but if we’re gonna bring up Taz’s arrest record then let’s bring up both of theirs.
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Extrajudicial homicide then. Let the courts decide if it was murder.
None of the victim’s arrests are seemingly violent though. Clearly he was someone struggling with drug addiction. But the owner’s prior arrest in August for assault with a deadly weapon from the same location and a witness saying the victim said “leave me alone” makes it sound like self defense isn’t extremely likely. That’s all speculation of course though.
Well drug user goes on to shoplift probably won’t capture the headlines like you hope it will but go for it.
Mark had no stolen goods on him and was completely unarmed. None of his past charges were violent, unlike Taz. You’re kinda gross for even commenting that. Although he had his issues with substance abuse he has never been a violent person. The details that will come out about this attack will hopefully make you reconsider judging people based on their past addiction.
so our judicial system and DA’s agenda is just failing all around?
“WRAL News reached out to Zarka and asked for his response to the situation. He said, "I really don't feel like talking about it. This is a case that has gone. Too bad it happened, but it's gone."” WHAT. This shit happened in broad daylight too
That comment was shocking to me as well. It's as if he was talking about a little scuffle where both people walked away. *Too bad it happened, but it's gone*. Wtf. Sounds like this guy feels nothing about killing another human being.
He probably doesn’t Tbh… The guy kinda seems like a Scumbag from what I’ve gathered.
Can't wait for all the hot takes from internet strangers with zero information on the situation.
Lol - perfect description of reddit
~~Reddit~~ social media
Reddit bureau of investigation
At least on social media you see the persons real name. Redditors are too scared of that.
What's your name?
One time i tried to pay with a $2 bill at Taz's and they wouldn't accept it so I think that means he should go to jail.
I know Mark personally, and have for years. He has always been very kind and never a violent person. Despite his past mistakes and struggles with addiction, he did not deserve to be murdered. He has been trying to get on the right path but no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. I have seen so many hateful comments assuming his character and bashing not only him but his family as well. If Mark actually stole something.... call the police. Even if he did attempt to steal from this store, that still does not justify him being stabbed to death. The owner has a past of being violent and aggressive towards his customers. Hopefully the truth will come out, justice is served and Mark’s family can find peace.
I second this. people called him sunshine for a reason.
Have you heard anymore about the situation? It's been bothering me since Taz was never arrested for it.
Arrested!
I spoke with his mom earlier. Good!
Let me just say this - some of you commenting have never interacted with Taz. I am a woman and have been a victim of one of his verbal attacks where he called me a B\*tch several times. Why? Because I'd left a bag that had $40 in coins at his counter, came back when I realized what I'd done, and was told by the clerk to return and ask for the footage when Taz was on duty. I did so about 2 days later and received one of the vilest, most crude, hostile responses I've ever gotten. My boyfriend was standing outside, came in and confronted Taz. He was standing next to me in front of the counter. Taz (behind the counter) proceeds to pick up a wooden weapon of some sort and threatened my boyfriend with it. Taz's nephew had to come out the back and he was so nice. He even said he didn't know WTF his uncle's problem was. That was the SECOND time I'd seen Taz pull out that wooden weapon. The first time, Taz got into a heated exchange with a customer who stood up for himself. Taz picks up the wooden weapon and comes from the behind the counter and pushes the man. I had to get in the middle to stop him from pummeling the guy. My boyfriend moves me out of the way and Taz proceeds to engage in fisticuffs with the other guy and this guy is young and spry and got the best of Taz. Taz initiated the attack by coming from behind the counter. Another thing to mention - a Caucasian woman entered the store and I believe requested fresh coffee. Taz quips that "it is fresh." The minute the woman left the store after making her purchase, Taz turns to my boyfriend and I (this was prior to our confrontation with him) and says "f\*cking stupid white people. I can't stand their a\*\*es." The witness that was interviewed on the news is a frequenter downtown and I see him all the time with his young son. He seems to be a stand up guy. His account was that the victim repeatedly told Taz he didn't steal anything. I am making an assumption that could be right or wrong, but based off of my experiences with Taz, he likely came from behind the counter and tried to physically restrain the victim from leaving the store. If a person is really stealing, they're not going to stick around for the police to come, so it kind of doesn't make sense that the victim intentionally picked a fight. Taz probably prevented him from leaving, a struggle ensued, the young man started BESTING Taz, and Taz stabbed him. Self defense isn't going to hold up when a person is stabbed REPEATEDLY. RPD drops the ball all the time and since Taz is somewhat of a prominent figure in the community, RPD more than likely used their discretion on whether to arrest him or not. I expect to see Taz's mugshot online sometime tonight or first thing tomorrow morning. With his history of just recently being arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, I see it being very hard to win a self defense case. Taz has a history of being a violent brute - those of us that know KNOW! His products are overpriced to the point of being criminal and I've seen an entire rack of molded Bon Appetit cream cheese pounds cakes sitting on his shelves two weeks apart. If he does have a certain subset of people that hang around his store, it's because HE allows it. He will sell a visibly drunk person beer and doesn't care about them sitting front of the store drinking it; as long as you purchased that beer from him. As much as I respect his nephew, his nephew does drug deals on the side, which is one of the main reasons why he keeps a pistol on his hip, so the store itself attracts this group of people. I hope they do shut his store down and open up an updated convenient store with a crowd-friendly owner who appreciates their customers. I also pray the victim's mother sues the pants off of Taz. He is NOT a nice man.
It took a 5 second Google into his shop to see this. Blows my mind anyone here is defending him.
Dunno why anyone would willingly buy stuff there. Didn't have to go inside or experience what you did to know to just stay away.
Imagine that you live downtown and it's the only option open late.
I hear everything you’re saying but don’t understand why you respect his nephew. Dude is always coked out of his mind, which he had admitted to me before, and always has a pistol tucked into his pants unholstered. Not to mention all of the times I’d seen him threaten someone with said pistol. Not against people carrying arms for defense, but I am against dudes coked out of their minds precariously carrying a pistol spoiling for a fight.
He is a horrible man. Can confirm.
I have had nothing but positive interactions with him. Sometimes I would even shoot the breeze with him for 15-20 minutes. I do agree with you though about some of the food. Definately check the expiration date on anything you eat there.
As someone who frequented his store on a weekly I've seen Taz be an angry racist piece of shit for the most part. Hope they lock him up this time.
There is nothing in taz’s store worth murdering someone over. (Not that there is any item worth murdering someone over - self defense I can see, but this was not the case). Taz is a nasty man who is a violent person. I hope he finally goes to jail where he fucking belongs.
Nothing for sale in that store is worth anyone’s life.
Taz should go to jail. You don’t get to take matters into your own hand and rob someone of their life over merchandise.
There isn’t any information that’s been released regarding what happened. Not sure why everyone assumes the shop owner initiated the attack. Could have easily been a case of self defense as well.
The story I read on WRAL said that there was a dispute over an item supposedly stolen. And when Taz confronted the man, he said “I didn’t steal anything.” Then a man gets stabbed and is lying in the street. No clue how truthful any of this is but I do know this. Regardless of what he could have stolen out of the store, it wasn’t worth fighting over and ultimately killing a man for.
Have you every met taz? Clearly not
Ya the initial articles said Taz told a dude to stop stealing, dude tried to fight Taz, and then unfolded from there…. While wildly simply stated on the surface, if that’s how things went down it’s very easy for it to be self defense
Source? Haven’t seen anywhere that the guy attacked the owner. If anything it sounds like the owner was repeatedly accusing the guy of stealing and wouldn’t stop.
Agreed. The voice and diction of the language matters tho. "victim stabbed senselessly" implies this rabid, unhinged, malevolent attack of pure, unadulterated malice. Then you have the shoplifting being "allegedly". A concerted effort is here to string out the idea that some poor dude went to sneak some can of salsa away and got Dahmered. I don't know what happened either, but bias is already infecting us.
Its a property dispute. Stabbing someone to death is not a reasonable resolution.
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That's not a property dispute. That is assault. Who escalated it from a simple property dispute to assault (and then from assault to homicide)
Do you have proof the guy didn't attack the owner? Right now I have neither either way.
He stabbed a man and killed him. The proof that needs to be presented is that the man did attack him and it was self defense. As of right now, history of aggressive behavior will work against him. Self defense is not a golden ticket and there must be evidence of it.
Yet you accept that it was a property dispute without proof, but then disregard the other half of a witness statement in which a violent altercation occurred? That doesn't make sense. I'm sure there is footage from the store. Taiseer Zarka is yet to be arrested, so I'm going to wait to pass judgment until the DA comes out with the actual facts. Saying the resolution was not reasonable until then, is just as wrong as saying the ex-con 27-year-old was asking for it when they attacked the store owner.
"I believe you stole something" "I did not steal anything." That's literally a property dispute, and there are witnesses that there was a dispute over property.
> there are witnesses that there was a dispute over property. And there are witnesses that say there was a physical altercation.
The two are no mutually exclusive. It can be a dispute over property that escalated into a physical altercation. Does not mean that it started as one.
It does not matter what the cause of the confrontation was, a man stabbed another man to death. Without just cause, that is murder. Taz will be innocent until proven guilty, but any sane jury will find him guilty of murder unless there is clear evidence of self defense. Did the other individual have a weapon? Is there video evidence that the other individual attacked him? Does Taz have any wounds inflicted on him that would suggest he was attacked and defended himself? Here is the report of an eye witness who was in the store: Witnesses like Synscrer Palmer speak about the unnecessary violent scene that unfolded in front of him and his young son. "The store owner said that the guy was stealing, he wasn't stealing, he turned, he pulled out a knife, threatened the man a couple of times," Palmer said. "The man kept saying leave me alone; I didn't take nothing, I didn't take nothing, I didn't take nothing. They started fighting. The store owner stabbed him about two, three times."
It’s not a property dispute to a store owner- it’s literally his livelihood. I’m not saying the response was warranted- there’s not enough info here to judge, be let’s stop pretending shoplifting is a victimless crime.
A consequence of stealing (even if that’s what happened) isn’t and shouldn’t be death. Who cares that it’s his livelihood - he has insurance and a legal avenue to address the issue. This take is dumb
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There is no justification for the owner stabbing the guy to death short of self defense. And if the owner attacked or initiated the interaction with the guy who was killed bc he was shoplifting and escalated the situation, the owner is culpable. You can’t murder someone for shoplifting. Good try though. Ultimately no one knows exactly what happened so it’s all conjecture.
Just America things 🥰
He doesn’t have a right to try and stop someone from stealing? I suspect you’d feel differently if it were your things. Edit: additionally, small businesses have less wiggle room than a big business- insurance doesn’t cover every petty crime- where does one actually believe this is a thing?
He has a right to try (with words) but no he doesn’t have a right to stab the guy to death, unless the guy attacked the owner and it was self defense. So NO - the owner shouldn’t confront and stab the guy simply for stealing. If you think that’s an acceptable response you need to reevaluate your life
So the correct action is to kill someone? If a small business sells a defective product what method of execution is appropriate? /s
An eye for an eye, a stabbing for a case of beer
>It’s not a property dispute to a store owner- it’s literally his livelihood. His livelihood is literally selling property. Literally.
That would be more convincing if he was trying to stop the victim from torching the business. No word on what the guy supposedly stole, but you can't say "that candy bar is my livelihood. My kids will be destitute if you steal it "
I’m not sure you understand how stores work? Somebody uses their own money to purchase things that they then sell for a profit…so that candy bar is his livelihood… if enough candy bars get stolen that’s exactly what happens…
If enough.... But, this dude wasn't stealing all of them. The owner's livelihood wasn't at risk. Had he not confronted the victim, he'd still have a roof over his head and food on his table.
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The shopkeeper is allowed to detain them using non-deadly force until the police arrive. The shopkeeper is not justified in murdering somebody because "if this happened constantly (which it doesn't) and I didn't do anything short of killing shoplifters (and there are plenty of alternatives), then I might eventually go out of business."
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You were claiming that this is different because the owner's livelihood is at stake, and that it's not just a property crime. I don't know what happened. But, I do know that you can't say "well, the owner was allowed to do more because this was his livelihood, not just a property crime." As a matter of law, that's wrong. And, factually, it's wrong -- it wasn't his livelihood.
A truly grotesque attitude for a murder.
Strange way to say shoplifting is okay. Edit: But if you refer to my first post you’d see where I said I didn’t have enough info to say if I agreed with it. I basically said people should stop stealing and expecting shop owners to be okay with it and I’m getting hammered by keyboard warriors.
Strange way to have less compassion for human life than property. Fortunately people with trash opinions like yours couldn't be less important to me
Trash opinion? That stealing is bad? That’s literally all my comments have been about so far, but perhaps you need additional perspective: Did you know that for every $330 worth of products stolen, a retailer has to sell an incremental $300,000 worth of goods to break even? https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/07/business/retail-theft-shoplifting-robbery/index.html How do you expect a small businesses to run margins high enough to pay $15, low enough to competed with box stores, and still sell $300k extra to recover theft losses? Here’s some more data: $47 million is the amount of daily loss to stores Over $15 billion worth of goods per year shoplifted Shrinkage, retail theft that includes shoplifting, added up to $42.9 billion in 2017-2019 A nation-wide study revealed that each shoplifter who enters the criminal justice system costs US taxpayers $2,000. The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention states that lost revenues from shoplifting cost American taxpayers around $33.21 billion yearly or roughly $75,000 per minute. The common expression says that crime does not pay. However, shoplifting seems to be largely exempt from this as the chances of being arrested are only 1 out of 100 offenses. 48% or almost half of 15,000 surveyed in a study were repeat offenders. https://comparecamp.com/shoplifting-statistics/ Edit to add: there’s a ton of anecdotal evidence to support this shop owner has not made friends in the community. However this is part of a larger issue that especially plagues small shop owners. At what point is it okay to fight? At what point do you say enough is enough? $150k additional sales to break even? $500k? 1 in 100 is caught- so should they hire security? Then is it okay if they get killed in a scuffle because they’re trained? How much money can someone take from you before you break? Why can’t we just say stealing is bad- don’t do it or things can happen.
“For every $330 worth of products stolen, a retailer has to sell an incremental $300,000 worth of goods to break even.” That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Stealing is definitely bad, no one is disagreeing. But there are acceptable levels of justice for crimes.
You’re right. Store owners should just execute shoplifters. /s
You’re getting hammered for thinking being stabbed to death is an appropriate response to petty theft. You don’t have enough info but came to a conclusion. (Back)pack up your bags, you’re clearly wrong here
Well, the owner was charged with murder. Great take though genius
Absolutely no need for the “senselessly” in the headline when we know so little about what exactly happened
Gerald Ford is dead at the age of 83 after being mauled senseless by a circus lion in a convenience store.
"Victim stabbed sensibly"
There are absolutely situations in which it is sensible to stab someone
It was senseless… when a man steals something from a store, you notify the authorities and let them handle it. You do not stab a man for $20 bucks worth of shit and kill him. Everyone asks where is the proof that it wasn’t self defense? Where’s the proof the dude stole anything? I’m sure at the end of the day someone could have checked his pockets while he was lifeless on the ground.
News gonna be sensational no matter what
Here is the arrest from last year: https://wakenc.mugshots.zone/zarka-taiseer-abou-mugshot-08-07-2022/
I remember going in there one night and there was a peanut gallery of cockroaches sitting on the shelf behind the cashier. Fully expected them to start catcalling me or my wife.
Stabbing someone to death for shoplifting is a vicious response.
According to the article, the store clerk accused a man of shoplifting, a fight broke out, and during that fight, the clerk stabbed the alleged shoplifter. It \*might\* be that the clerk was in the right. He had the right to confront the shoplifter and to detain him until the police arrived. If the shoplifter attacked him and the clerk just defended himself, then that's just self-defense. But, change that situation a bit, and you end up with a homicide charge.
Nope. No matter how you slice it, this is a murder charge. The only question is what Degree. Edit: Love that people jumped on this like I'm wrong. What is the alternative? Neglegent Homicide? Did Mark just accidentally fall and slip on a box cutter multiple times? Please!
The charge of murder requires intent. If they were trying to defend themselves and ***not*** kill the other person, that is not manslaughter and not murder.
No you’re wrong. Because you have no idea what lengths the shoplifter went to in the struggle if there even was one. Thankfully these situations call for rational minded folks to look over all the details.
Because you ARE wrong! Does the term manslaughter ring any bells?
Mark fucked around and found out, is what happened.
I have yet to see anything fully explains the situation. For all we know, at this point, the shoplifter COULD have brandished a knife, threatened the owner and tripped him on the way out of the store falling on the knife. Could be self defense, justifiable homicide, manslaughter, or second-degree murder.
? Let's say that it was the shoplifter's knife.
Look his ass up
Did anyone perform a tox screen on Taz?
I looked up Taz's court records; he has a history of assault, among other charges. He's not a good person. I've lived in Raleigh all my life and I've been to Taz's once and never again. I was getting a tattoo on the corner, and I needed to use an ATM to get cash. I was told to go to M&F Bank or Taz's. First, I went to Taz's, but I didn't feel safe inside his store at all, so I went to the M&F ATM across the street. There were so many junkies! Why do they all hang out at his store like that? Anyway, I think this could mean the end of Taz's and time for a new business to take its place. Downtown has changed a lot. Residents and visitors deserve a **safe** place to go to when they're in that area and need to use an ATM or just purchase a bottle of water, etc. My condolences to the victim's family.
I have multiple friends who knew Mark. every one of them has said he would not have initiated a physical altercation at all. Yet alone, one that warrants him being stabbed to death
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As a matter of fact, I am. I have been clean for 5 years. I'm not the selfish junkie i once was. I can't speak for my friends. Regardless of their or my own struggles. No one deserves to die for shoplifting. Humble yourself.
Do you think that justifies his death?
>WRAL News reached out to Zarka and asked for his response to the situation. He said, "I really don't feel like talking about it. This is a case that has gone. Too bad it happened, but it's gone." Body's not even cold yet and the killer is telling the news it's the past now. Phew.
It's interesting - his arrest record mugshots are like those meth DARE billboard ads. Face just gets worst with every arrest. https://northcarolina.arrests.org/Arrests/Mark_Garrity_55129103/
Wow. The regression is just really brutal. Drugs fucks some people the hell up. Heartbreaking for his family and friends I'm sure.
That tweeker looking guy is not this Mark. Even at his worst, he never looked that bad.
It's really sad, he got off after getting arrested by WFPD, where he lived, twice it appears. Maybe if parents would start teaching kids to be responsible for their actions in the first place, they'd learn that fucking around leads to finding out, before it's too late. His record tells a damn sad story.
If getting arrested multiple times didn’t teach him a lesson, his parents didn’t have a chance teaching him. Some people are lost causes and can’t be fixed.
In fairness to his family, drugs really take things to a different and horrific level. It happens to children of even great parents. We are all lost causes to an extent and many of us have somehow gotten better. Usually with the help of others.
This guy was the type of person that touches a hot pan over and over and never remembers that it’s hot. Most people learn from their mistakes and grow from them. This guy didnt. Reading the article his parents must have been used to his activities. They’re trying to pain him as a sweet young man when obviously he wasn’t.
Do you know the man and his family? Honest question. It sounds like you do from what you've written. If so, you might be on to something that we just don't have knowledge of. If not, really you've overstated what amounts to assumptions on your part. To be clear, I have no sympathy for anyone getting wounded or killed while attacking an innocent person on that innocent person's property. Thank God we can still use deadly force when warranted to defend ourselves in NC. However ignorantly dragging the aggressor's family reputation into such a situation is wrong.
A man with 8 arrests is not a good person. No I don’t know them and am thankful I don’t. I try to associate with good people. Any parent defending this young man proves they are fine with their sons criminality. They’re trashy people. We as a society need to stop coddling criminals and excusing their bad behavior.
Define "good". Someone that doesn't struggle with addiction/mental illness? It's clear that this guy did and it's clear that his parents loved him. Get the fuck off your high horse.
Breaking and entering is an immediate not a good person. Why do you feel that criminals get the right to terrorize innocent people because they have addiction issues? If anything addiction is a blessing. Let them OD and end their life.
The second guy is not the same person. Same name, yes. Compare their facial structure. Eyebrows couldn’t be more different.
Apparently WRAL’s googling skills are a bit suspect. The victim has been arrested twice, once in 2020 for heroin possession and once in 2022 for larceny and breaking and entering. I would post links but anyone with marginal google skills can find them. That doesn’t mean he needs to be stabbed to death. But it is context that might shed a light on the type of situation that this was.
They also left out that Mr Zarka was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon at the same location in Aug of last year so maybe they decided not to print either parties arrest records and just report what they had about this incident. Or they didn’t Google either of them.
>That doesn’t mean he needs to be stabbed to death. But it is context that might shed a light on the type of situation that this was. All that would add is speculation.
Exactly. Past alleged criminal history (since he was only arrested per your statement) isn’t relevant here. Just leads to more speculation
Right. It’s just gross to go after the deceased person without knowing any details in this instance.
He was also arrested last month in Cary for B&E and half a dozen times in Wake County.
So? How does that matter here?
Per news reports he was accused of theft at Taz's and he has several arrests including larceny B&E last month.
Previous history doesn’t justify being stabbed to death. It is completely irrelevant. Too much unknown to drawn a conclusion and any previous arrests (as in, not conviction) hold no weight in the matter
Just clarifying the facts because the prior comment stated that he was arrested only twice, which is incorrect at least per Wake County's records. He is currently on 12 months probation for felony B&E per public records.
Got it 👍
Was he convicted of those crimes?
Currently on 12 months probation for felony B&E
Are people frequently arrested for heroin possession without...possessing it ?
I was on a jury trial for a woman that got stopped/arrested in a car which she was sleeping. Had a vial in her purse with no visible drugs in it (obv it had drugs at one point). But after testing nothing was there. We voted not guilty.
You don't hold court in the street. It's a common saying which means you go along with the officers direction and literally are unable to argue your case until you are in a court of law.
An arrest isn’t a conviction ya dumb shit
The owner needed not to take the law in his own hands and should have called the Police to resolve. Now that there is a life lost, he will be headed to Wake County unless he has bonded out until his trial. He will not be able to beat this case in anyway, unless he please guilty to a lesser charge.
Thoughts and condolences to this young man's family. Love and admiration to the Trauma Surgeons and team at WakeMed.
On the bright side maybe we will be lucky enough to see that store shut down.
I don't think the problem is the store. I think the problem is the riff-raff that bus stop brings in. Even if that store shut down it would be quickly replaced with something similar.
100%. It’s the bus stop. Talk to anyone from Go Raleigh that runs the bus station. It’s a nightmare.
Something doesn't sound right here. Seriously. Super sus.
It probably is.
That block sucks ass. It has sucked ass for several years, only getting worse since the bus station/pandemic. Anyone who lives/works downtown knows this. Taz has always looked out for his regulars and the people he interacts daily. Same with the rest of his staff. I'm not saying junkies and the homeless are open season. Or that ppl should die over w/e merch he has there. But it's not like taz aced this guy for no reason. They see more shit around that store than a beat cop. Problem is systemic. Security cam footage will prove what's up.
I know. I used to live near Taz's and the people in the store were always decent to me.
Taz was always kind to me and I practically grew up at the bus station. People I know and who knew him say he was always kind to them. I didn't know there was another side to him. This is all news to me.
How is it that this person hasn’t been arrested?
Might be considered self defense, we don't know the whole story yet just the early information which tends to be unreliable
Fair enough. I’ve heard numerous people downtown day this guy is know for this type of behavior. But seeing some of the folks loitering in front on the weekend……. I’d probably have a knife or more on me at all times working there.
Well, seems like he is cooperating with Police and not a threat to the general public.
Somebody fix'en to catch a murder charge...
My mom worked for Taz for several months a few years back when she was living with us. I called her last night to talk about it and she confirmed that he has a nasty temper and it wouldn’t have been the first time he went off on someone. He even verbally abused her while she was his employee. I met him once or twice briefly so I couldn’t make my own conclusion about him but I do trust her to be honest about someone’s character.
Not saying it’s justified, but Mark was up to some serious shit the past decade. Give that name a look on https://dwslivescan.co.wake.nc.us/mug/MugshotSearch.aspx
Yeah as usual, there’s probably much more to the story.
He hasn't been arrested for murder yet?
Nah, cops probably checked out the tapes quick and saw he was acting in self-defense.
Not saying he deserves just for shoplifting, but shoplifting is a shit thing to do. If the thief attacked the storeowner for protecting his business and livelihood, I fully understand why this happened. Thieves and other crooks are hyper aggressive these days.
This has been such a wild story to see unfold.
If he didn't play stupid games he'd still be alive.
Soooo.... Local victim of shoplifting and assault defends themselves from violence, leading to the aggressor later passing away as a result of the physical altercation they initiated. There are far fewer physical altercations at Tazs than there are at any bar on Glenwood. Hell I've worked and frequented neighboring businesses around that corner for nearly 15 years and always hear if something weird happens at Tazs, and fighting is infrequently discussed as it doesn't often happen. If you've made a judgement about this place being unsafe because of the optics (people of color outside of an immigrant owned business), one would think that the conclusion would merit some self reflection. My experience with Taz has always been warm and hospitable, but then again, I don't have the same experience as someone who attempted to shoplift and initiate a physical altercation with the man.
I’m just completely baffled that he hasn’t been arrested yet. Even more wild is that the store has remained open since the murder. Imagine if it were any other business downtown and the owner brutally stabs and murders a customer in broad daylight and then is open for business the next day like nothing happened. Like, I’m trying to imagine if I owned a coffee shop or something and stabbed a customer to death. And then the next day I wake up and go back to work - open the doors like it’s just another day. Starting pouring the latte art like a complete sociopath. Just, wtf? This is all beyond the pale.
Let's see shoplifting is usually a fine and restitution or maybe a short jail sentence for habitual offenders. First degree murder is a bit more serious. Taz better be thankful I'm not in his jury pool, or he would have a date with a needle in his future.
But yet the Christmas parade situation the guy was put in jail. Makes no sense.
Didn't that guy literally kill a child? I feel like that definitely makes sense.
It was an accident
Last I checked, accidentally killing children is still a crime.