'He fought to his very last breath': Man attacked outside Family Dollar dies surrounded by family

Marvin Herring, 53, was attacked March 11 as he left the Family Dollar store at 2893 Owen Drive.

Herring's family said he was at the store buying flowers to put on his mother’s grave. When he left the store, a man pulled him from his van to rob him. Fayetteville police say he hit his head extremely hard on the ground, was beaten and robbed.

Fayetteville man fighting for life after being attacked outside Family Dollar

The attack left Herring hospitalized and on a ventilator, fighting for his life. Family members said he was released Friday to go home in hospice care so they could spend time with him.

"What we thought was days turned into hours, and then it turned into minutes, and it came quickly," his stepdaughter, Cortney Locklear, said Tuesday.

"Marvin passed this morning around 5 a.m. with the biggest smile on his face," she said.

Herring's wife spent his final hours by his side.

"She was praying and just asking God to just allow her to see her husband just one more time, to allow her to see his eyes open and, it was kind of like a miracle, Marvin's eyes opened," Locklear said.

Police have arrested one person, a teen, in the attack on Herring. Police said three people were involved in the assault.

Investigators said they will wait for the medical examiner to determine the cause of death before possibly upgrading the charges.

Anyone with information is asked to call Fayetteville police at 910-309-2542 or Crime Stoppers at 910-483-TIPS.