Crime & Safety
Craigslist Deal to Sell Pit Bull Ends in Fatal Shooting
The shooter tells DeKalb Police he acted in self-defense; authorities are trying to determine who planned to rob who.
One man was shot dead Thursday night in a DeKalb County neighborhood after a deal to sell a pit bull made via Craigslist went wrong, authorities say.
Men came to Fairforest Drive to sell a pit bull about midnight in response to a Craigslist ad, police say, but the deal turned into a robbery.
Lt. Antonio Catlin with DeKalb Police told WSB TV the late hour seems an unusual time for the transaction. They’re not sure who planned to rob who, he said.
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A neighbor said his wife heard two or three gunshots, and he saw a man walk back to a vehicle and drive away. Authorities found a dead man in an area yard.
The man who fired the deadly shots says he acted in self-defense, the TV station reports; the victim was reportedly the dog’s buyer. Police say they are still sorting out what happened.
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The shooting is the second deadly incident in two weeks to bring Georgians together via Craigslist, only to end in a death.
Patch earlier reported officials in Telfair County filed murder charges against a man they say used Craigslist to lure a Cobb County couple into a deadly trap last week.
The Associated Press reports that Ronnie Adrian “Jay” Towns, 28 was charged with malice murder and armed robbery for the deaths of Elrey “Bud” Runion and his wife June Runion, whose bodies were discovered on Jan. 26.
Investigators believe that Towns responded to a Craigslist ad posted last week by Bud Runion, who was looking to buy a 1966 Ford Mustang. Authorities suspect that Towns offered to sell Runion a Mustang, but was actually planning to rob him of the substantial amount of cash he would be bringing with him to purchase the expensive classic vehicle.
In the wake of the publicity surrounding the Runions’ deaths, the Smyrna Police Department encouraged residents to use its headquarters parking lot and lobby to complete online transactions.
»See the full story at WSB TV.
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