ROANOKE, Va. – The victim’s widow in the Grandin 7-Eleven shooting has filed a wrongful death lawsuit and is seeking nearly $5,350,000 in damages.
Krystal Crowder, the widow, is suing Isaiah Baldwin, and Lipes, Inc., the 7-Eleven franchisee for compensatory damages of $5 million and punitive damages of $350 thousand.
The lawsuit states Krystal and Steven Crowder were married for seven years.
On Sunday, April 16 around 8:30 p.m., Steven Crowder was on his way to work as a caregiver, but before leaving home, Steven told Krystal he was going to stop by the Grandin 7-Eleven to buy tobacco products and would see her at home later that evening.
But according to the lawsuit, when Crowder did not have his driver’s license, 20-year-old Isaiah Baldwin, the 7-Eleven clerk made a gesture toward Crowder, and a confrontation ensued as Crowder was walking toward the store’s exit. Baldwin walked around the counter, pulled out a firearm, and fired a series of gunshots at Crowder.
The lawsuit says Crowder was shot in the back, back of the neck, and back of his left forearm before he left the store.
A female witness rushed to give Crowder medical aid but was unable to save him.
The lawsuit claims Baldwin left the scene, and says Crowder did not have any weapons on him or in his vehicle.
When Crowder didn’t come home, Krystal became worried and made several calls between 11 p.m. and midnight.
She then made her way to the house where she and her late husband worked as caregivers.
When she passed the 7-Eleven she saw police cars and later identified Steven as the victim when she showed police pictures of him on her phone.
In a statement, lawyers tell 10 News, “We are concerned about the family, there is no justification for what happened. A 14-year-old no longer has a father.”