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Winston-Salem Man Shot After
Meeting to Buy Items He Saw Online

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IMAGE- Not the man in the commentary below: 2017 Kalynn Ruthenberg Cobb County Sheriff’s Office MARIETTA, Ga. — A Georgia man who killed a college student answering an ad on Craigslist has been convicted of murder and faces life in prison. https://nypost.com/2017/11/08/man-convicted-of-murder-during-craigslist-sale-faces-life/

by Catherine Davis |  December 17, 2018
Commentator, Chief Editor, L&SS

The most profound truth about shopping online is that you must do your research first, especially, if you're shopping or selling on websites like 'Craigslist' or 'Ebay'. Ever heard of the infamous 'Craigslist Killings'? 

There are too many of those crimes to list in this commentary. That's why I've chosen the latest ones where the buyer went to meet, in person, the seller of items he or she saw while shopping online and was then robbed and shot - most survived (of my list, that is) - one died. 

Starting with the main incident that started my search for a pattern or rate at which people have been harmed or killed after meeting a potential seller of products they wanted to purchase from them. Like I've mentioned, the list was too large to research fully. Yet, I believe you'll be able to glean some vital information from what I did write in this commentary:

​Detectives say Chastin Arrington saw posts online and arranged a meeting with the seller in the 100 block of N. Martin Luther King Drive. Upon arrival he noticed the seller had nothing to sell, so he tried to leave.
Author: Benjamin Briscoe
Published: 10:46 PM EST December 16, 2018
Updated: 

11:42 PM EST December 16, 2018 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Investigators say a man was shot in the leg while meeting to pick up electronics we was trying to buy from someone online. Detectives say Chastin Arrington saw posts online and arranged a meeting with the seller in the 100 block of N. Martin Luther King Drive. Upon arrival he noticed the seller had nothing to sell, so he tried to leave. A second suspect showed up with a handgun and demanded Arrington's money. During a struggle to get away, Arrington was shot in the leg. Arrington drove himself to the hospital. The case remains under investigation.

Yes, Chastin is a survivor after being shot after he was robbed. I doubt he'll ever meet an online seller in person the rest of his life. I know I wouldn't! 

I remember a story (I didn't list it here because it happened about four years ago) about a mom who sold jewelry to earn extra cash for her kids during the up coming holidays. She went to meet the person who was to purchase some jewelry when the man (men) robbed her of her goods and killed. There really was no way for her to know whom she was dealing with because they lied about their identities. I don't know if her killer(s) were ever caught. 

Some people (in this Facebook comment section of this story) suggest meeting at a police station. I ask, "How would that work?" There would be a conflict of interest for the police department to allow such transactions in its facilities - the police would never allow it to transpire. 

I had an idea once, "Maybe someone could start a 'Safe - Connect' for those online buyers/sellers from Craigslist and such." Hey! "Maybe you could open a brick and mortar!"

craigslist | about | safety
https://www.craigslist.org/about/safety
Nevertheless, please take the same common sense precautions online as you would offline. When meeting someone for the first time, please remember to: Insist on a public meeting place like a cafe, bank, or shopping center.

Detectives say Chastin Arrington saw posts online and arranged a meeting with the seller on N. Martin Luther King Drive.

Posted by WFMY News 2 on Sunday, December 16, 2018
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               Similar Story...

Do you sell/buy items online? What precautions do you take when you meet up?

Posted by WYFF News 4 on Tuesday, October 31, 2017

A 50-year-old man is in the hospital after he was shot while going to meet with three people who were selling something online.

Posted by ABC13 Houston on Monday, June 18, 2018

SAPD warns people about dangers of buying/selling things online after two teens were shot during a meet-up to buy a necklace. (The teens are actually the ones facing charges.)

Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Wednesday, December 6, 2017

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