A convenience store at the center of a deadly stabbing will no longer operate in downtown Raleigh.
According to Empire Properties on Friday, Taz’s Supermarket closed its doors this week after the Raleigh developer purchased several historic buildings on East Hargett and South Wilmington streets, which included the supermarket.
“The corner had been underutilized for decades, with virtually no maintenance, care or financial investment to stave off deterioration,” the developer said in a statement.
Mark Garrity Jr. was fatally stabbed at the supermarket in April 2023. The store’s owner, Taiseer Zarka, was convicted of manslaughter in the stabbing and sentenced to at least five years in prison. Zarka testified during his criminal trial that he stabbed Garrity because he believed he was trying to steal Gatorade.
On Thursday, lawyers representing Garrity’s family announced it had settled with the supermarket for $1.3 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Empire Properties said it is working with the City of Raleigh on a development plan that will include a six-story, mixed-use building on the non-historic Wilmington Street sites. The company said the goal is to restore the last building on the Wilmington Street side back to a contributing structure.
According to Empire Properties, the investment is expected to exceed $9 million once completed.
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