A 33-year-old Rustburg man was shot and killed in the parking lot of First St Paul Missionary Baptist Church Tuesday afternoon.
Campbell County deputies first responded to a report of a man lying in the entrance of the church parking lot around 1 p.m. When they arrived, Robert William Staton was lying on the ground in front of his vehicle with a critical gunshot wound.
Members of the First St Paul Missionary Baptist Church said there is no connection between the church and what happened Tuesday afternoon.
"We're hopeful that the people who did this will be found," said Jessica Pruitt, Staton's sister.
She said that her brother had the biggest heart and that he leaves behind a girlfriend and a 17-month-old baby.
"And she, she adores her daddy and her daddy adored her. You know, my brother he was told that he would never have kids, so you know, it was their miracle baby," she said.
She said he was a familiar face in the Rustburg community, one you may have seen riding along the road on his green John Deer lawn mower.
"But people knew him, you know, they seen him and go, 'Oh, that's Jessie's brother,'" she said.
But what happened to him, Pruitt said, is leaving more questions than answers. She said the family wants to know who did this and why they left him in the parking lot.
"I just don't know. It's the not knowing. It's the why," she said.
In the meantime, Pruitt shares a reminder for everyone.
"Hold your loved ones close. Whether it's Christmas, whether it's just a Wednesday, realize that you can definitely wake up tomorrow morning and not see them again," she said.
Pruitt said she does have a GoFundMe set up to help her family with cremation costs and the care for Staton's baby who frequently has appointments at UVA.
She is also asking for 17-month-old baby clothing or clothing for the months ahead, but Pruitt said, if you can't help with that, your prayers are needed the most right now.