Crime
Melissa Cui Domingo and her mother Elizabeth Cui Domingo killed after shooting outside Best Buy in Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. — A woman who was recently granted immunity after shooting her abusive husband in self-defense has now been killed—along with her mother—by that same man in what investigators are calling a domestic-related double homicide.
The victims have been identified as Melissa Cui Domingo, 37, and her mother, Elizabeth Cui Domingo, 74.
Both were fatally shot Sunday evening in the parking lot of Best Buy off Walton Way Extension in Augusta, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO).
The alleged shooter, 37-year-old Hajir Talebzadeh, Melissa’s ex-husband, was the man she shot in 2021 during a violent confrontation and accused of subjecting her to years of domestic abuse.
Authorities say the incident unfolded during a custody exchange involving the couple’s 5-year-old child, who was present during the shooting but was not physically harmed.
The child is now in the custody of the Department of Family and Children Services.
The first 911 calls were received around 6:12 p.m. Sunday, reporting gunfire at the busy retail complex. Deputies arrived within minutes and discovered Melissa and Elizabeth Domingo suffering from gunshot wounds.
Both were pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. by Deputy Coroner John Rutland.
Talebzadeh was also found injured with a wound of unknown severity and was transported to Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center, where he is reported to be in stable condition. Investigators have obtained murder warrants, and he will be booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center upon release from the hospital.
The killings occurred less than a month after a Richmond County judge dismissed all charges against Melissa Domingo stemming from the 2021 shooting of Talebzadeh inside their home.
At that time, Superior Court Judge Jesse Stone ruled that Melissa acted in lawful self-defense after enduring years of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. The court accepted expert testimony that Melissa suffered from Battered Person Syndrome, PTSD, panic disorder, and Stockholm Syndrome. Multiple family members testified to Talebzadeh’s violent and controlling behavior, warning that they feared for her life the night she shot him.
Investigators also noted that their residence was filled with unsecured, loaded firearms and that Talebzadeh had been armed during the confrontation. Although he sustained multiple gunshot wounds, he survived the 2021 incident.
Judge Stone ultimately applied Georgia’s “transferred justification” doctrine, ruling Melissa’s use of force was legally protected even if others were unintentionally endangered in the act of defending herself.
Sheriff’s officials have emphasized that Sunday’s shooting was domestic in nature and does not pose a threat to the wider community.
“This was a senseless tragedy that unfolded in front of a child,” said RCSO Chief of Staff Lewis Blanchard. “Our hearts go out to everyone impacted, especially the child who will now grow up without both parents.”
Sheriff Gino Brantley also released a statement, saying:
“No child should ever have to experience such trauma. As a community, we must come together to support him and others who are affected. Violence is never the answer—it only leaves behind grief, pain, and broken families.”
The Georgia State Patrol Aviation Unit provided aerial support during the emergency response, using thermal imaging to help secure the scene. Multiple local and state agencies assisted in the rapid deployment.
Talebzadeh is facing multiple counts of murder, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculation—despite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle East–focused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouch’s social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 — the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays — Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled “I Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,” was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from “Ancestors Song,” a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouch’s participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the author’s family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown University’s decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.