It can happen to anyone.
Buying a car these days can be incredibly dangerous, as evidenced by a 26-year-old NYPD officer who was off-duty getting shot in the head during a purchase. The whole thing went down about 7 pm on February 4 behind a McDonald’s in East New York.
Keep your eyes open for this stolen Corvette.
We don’t know the name of the officer who was shot, but as Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told local media, all evidence indicates the officer was robbed during an attempted car purchase. We also know the officer has been with the department for 5 years, is married, and has two children. He was in critical condition in a hospital on Sunday.
Accompanying the off-duty officer for the car purchase was his brother-in-law. Reportedly, he found the vehicle on Facebook Marketplace and set up a meeting to check it out. At some point the seller reportedly pulled out a gun and demanded money from the officer. Then he shot the cop in the head.
That’s when the brother-in-law reportedly flew into action, unholstering the injured man’s weapon and firing on the car seller. The suspect is said to have fled from the scene in a black BMW SUV, although what model wasn’t specified.
NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.
With crime on the rise in many parts of the country, it’s more important than ever to be smart about buying a used car from a private party. While you can get a better deal that way, you need to protect yourself. This officer was smart and had someone come along with him. We would advise doing the meetup somewhere more secure with plenty of cameras, like a police substation parking lot or a bank. Some cities even have designated meetup areas for online sales transactions of this nature to help deter any criminal activity.
Also, keep in mind that as a seller you can also be the victim of a violent crime.
Source: NBC New York
