Best Buy shooting victims’ family hopes to ‘keep their memory alive’

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The family of Melissa Domingo and her mother, Elizabeth Domingo, who were killed in the parking lot of the Best Buy in Augusta, is turning their grief into action.

Melissa’s brothers are raising awareness about domestic violence and vowing to honor their loved ones’ legacy.

Melissa’s ex-husband, Hajir Talebzadeh, is charged with their murders, according to officials.

David and Anthony Domingo are sharing their story in hopes of preventing similar tragedies from happening to others.

“It was one of the worst days of my life,” said David.

Anthony said, “I just dropped to my knees. I couldn’t believe it.”

Moments before, he had been on FaceTime with his mom, sister and his nephew — not realizing it would be for the last time.

“I Facetimed my sister. There was no answer. I Facetimed my mother. There was no answer,” he said.

And now they are trying to figure out what they can do to make sure nobody else goes through what they did.

“Right now, we’re taking it day by day. In the future, I want to try to get involved in trying to help victims of domestic violence so that this doesn’t happen again,” Anthony said.

Such as going into law enforcement to protect others.

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David said, “I’m retired military, but I decided to get into law enforcement. I am in the Colorado Post Academy as we speak. What I want to do is just make a difference, ensure that victims’ voices are heard going forward.”

At the center of their grief is one shining light: Melissa’s young son. The brothers say protecting and supporting him has become their focus.

Anthony said, “It’s the most difficult thing for any family to have to endure. The only thing that gives us strength and the light at the end of the tunnel is being able to fight for my nephew. We want to make sure that my mother and my sister’s lives weren’t in vain. If we were to lose him, then we’ve lost everything. We’ve already lost my mother and my sister. We want to keep their memory alive, but at the same time, we don’t want to lose my nephew. That’s all we have left of them.”

Despite the tragedy, the Domingo family says the outpouring of love and support from the Augusta community has been overwhelming.

Melissa and Elizabeth will be laid to rest in Maryland.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the national domestic violence hotline at 800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org for 24/7 confidential support.