A concealed carry holder in Illinois found himself in a dire situation during a Monday, January 15 meetup with an individual he had connected with through Facebook Marketplace. Aiming to sell a vehicle, he instead found himself on the victim side of a robbery attempt when a group of men showed up and tried to rob him instead of buying the vehicle.
But, despite the unfortunate circumstance, the individual was able to use his concealed carry permit to fight his way out of the situation, saving himself and the companion with whom he travelled to the Marketplace Meetup from the robbery attempt. At least one of the robbers was hit by a bullet during the exchange of gunfire between the group of robbers and the man.
Apparently, the incident began after the man trying to sell the car and his companion entered the alleyway designated as the meeting location. Once there, the robbery attempt began and a group tried to rob them. One of the would-be victims was a legal gun owner with a license to carry and opened fire on the robbers, with gunshots exchanged by the robbers as well during the struggle. The shot he fired hit and killed a robbery suspect and he was later released without charges over the incident.
The Peoria Police Department, posting on its Facebook page about the shooting incident on that Monday, wrote, “Monday, January 15, 2024, at approximately 5:04 pm Peoria Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert of 5 rounds fired in the 2100 block of West Lincoln Avenue.”
It continued, “Upon arrival, officers located a male victim with an apparent gunshot wound. Officers immediately started life saving measures. AMT and PFD arrived on scene and took over lifesaving measures. The victim was pronounced deceased on scene. Members of the Peoria Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) and Crime Scene Unit (CSU) responded to the scene and initiated the investigation.”
In a later statement on the investigation into the shooting and what went down during the Marketplace Meetup gone wrong, Peoria Police Department’s Semone Roth said, “The investigation has determined that this was an attempted robbery setup and there was no intention to sell a vehicle.”
Further, Roth added that people should always remain vigilant and careful during such transactions, doing things such as meeting in highly visible locations that make the likelihood of robbery less likely. That was not the case in this attempted transaction, as the group of supposed buyers and the almost-victimized sellers met in an alley.
Giving that advice, Roth said, “The Peoria Police Department would like to remind the public to remain vigilant during Marketplace type transactions. Use good judgment when it comes to selecting meetup locations that are highly visible and preferably under video surveillance. The parking lot and lobby of the police department are also available to conduct such transactions.”
Fortunately, this incident ended without harm to the would-be victims despite their lack of vigilance in choosing a proper meeting place thanks to the protection afforded them by the firearm legally carried by the concealed carry holder.
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