Online ad for pit bull precipitated Georgia fatal shooting
DECATUR, Ga. - Police say a Georgia man was fatally shot after meeting with two people who advertised a pit bull for sale online.
Authorities responded to a home in DeKalb County just after midnight Friday and found a man fatally shot in the front yard.
Lt. Antonio Catlin of the DeKalb County Police Department told CBS Atlanta it appears two men from North Georgia came to DeKalb County to sell a bulldog they had advertised on a dog breeder website. Catlin said the dead man was posing as a buyer and when the two sellers arrived, he pointed a gun at them and told them they were being robbed. One of the sellers then drew his own gun and fired, killing the man, according to Catlin.
After the shooting, the dog sellers drove off, but then stopped and called 911, Catlin said.
"It is odd and, of course, we're investigating to find out exactly why they would come at that time of night. I think the call came out shortly after midnight, which is very unusual why someone would come that late to sell a dog," said Catlin.
Authorities have since learned that the dead man may be linked to four additional robberies, reports CBS Altanta. At least one victim was robbed on the same street and in the same manner. He had reportedly been using a fictitious address.
This case comes on the heels of another in which a Georgia couple was killed after traveling to buy a car through an advertisement placed on the online classified ad service Craigslist.
Elrey "Bud" Runion, 69, and his wife, June Runion, 66, of Marietta, Ga., were fatally shot in the head after traveling to rural Georgia to buy a car advertised on the site.
Ronnie Adrian "Jay" Towns, 28, of McRae, has been charged in the couple's killings. He has pleaded not guilty.
Authorities have said there is no evidence Towns owned the sort of classic car that the Runions wanted to buy and that robbery appears to have been the motive.
Earlier this week, classified ad consultant Peter Zollman told 48 Hours' Crimesider that all transactions initiated through the web should be conducted at police stations.
"It's 99.9% fool proof," said Zollman. "Do your police transactions at a police station. It's simple enough and more and more police departments are suggesting it."
Parry Aftab, a U.S. lawyer specializing in Internet privacy and security law, told Crimesider users of online classified ad services need to recognize that just because an ad is posted online, it doesn't mean it is legitimate and decent people are behind it.
She said users of sites like this should always take the following precautionary measures:
- Never go to a transaction alone
- Meet at a central location
- Always make sure someone else knows where you're going and be sure to communicate with them frequently throughout the transaction
- Before the meeting, do your research and search the seller's name and address on the web
- Never allow yourself to be cornered (If you must enter someone's house to view the product, make sure the person you're with stays outside)
- When you arrive, snap a picture of the person you're meeting with and/or their license plate and share it with someone
- Use common sense and if you feel uncomfortable, leave
