Father Stabbed To Death At Target Christmas Eve After Telling Suspects To Turn Music Down
HAYWARD (KPIX 5) -- Family members say an argument over loud music lead to the stabbing death of a man shopping with his kids at a Target on Christmas Eve.
According to the victim's wife, Tyrone Griffin was inside the store, doing some last minute shopping with the couple's two children when the unthinkable happened. She said it was his favorite time of year but it will never be the same now.
"He was more excited about kids opening gifts than they were ---and he wanted Christmas lights. He wanted to outshine the neighbors," says the victim's wife Nicole Simmons.
But that excitement turned tragic when Griffin was stabbed by two suspects inside the store and later died at the hospital.
"It was just that last minute gift - that last minute gift, you know --- that cost my husband his life," says Simmons. "He felt like Jade had more gifts than Josh... 'I gotta get Josh one more thing.'"
The family says Griffin was always doing what was best for his children and family.
A witness says Griffin asked the suspects to turn down some inappropriate music they were playing on their cell phones in the toy section.
"It was someone playing provocative music and he just asked them, 'can you turn it down, my son is right here' -- they guy didn't take it too well, I'm not sure exactly what was said, but they rushed him."
The suspects have been identified as 22 year-old Frankie Archuleta and 25 year-old Jesse Archuleta. Both are from Hayward.
The family is still trying to process what happened. They say you can't make sense of it. It was senseless.
"They're out of their mind to actually take action like that," says Timothy Griffin, the victim's brother. "Who does that?"
"In front of a child," adds Simmons.
The two suspects were arrested a short time later.
The hardest part for Simmons is telling her children 'Daddy isn't coming back.'
"I can't bring him back," she sobbed. "They said daddy will be back in 100 days. I said, no it don't work like that. I can't bring him back."
But Simmons says she knows her husband is in a better place and would want his family to celebrate his life.
The suspects are in their 20s and behind bars. They will be appearing in court later this week to face murder charges.
Meantime, investigators are reviewing the surveillance video from the store and talking to witnesses.