MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Police say a Facebook sale gone wrong led to a shooting in southeast Memphis that sent a man to the hospital Friday night.
Family tells WREG the victim is recovering after being shot over an Xbox.
“It’s terrifying,” said neighbor Cynthia Flores.
Police say the victim, whose name hasn’t been released, was trying to sell the gaming system on Facebook Marketplace, but when the buyer came to pick it up on Berrypick Lane around 8 p.m., he and another man tried to rob the seller instead.
The pair then shot the victim in each leg, leaving him bleeding on the sidewalk.
“We just thought it was normal fireworks, but then that’s when we heard the police, ambulance and the firefighters come,” said one neighbor, who didn’t want to be identified.
The victim took off running, but police say the gunman wasn’t done yet. He fired six more rounds at him before speeding away.
“That happened like right down the street from where we live,” Flores said. “What if we were at home?”
For Flores, who just moved in a few houses down, it’s not exactly the warm welcome she was hoping for in her family’s new neighborhood.
“Especially since, now that I am expecting, it’s kind of very terrifying because the baby’s room is right there near the window and to know that someone just comes shooting, it’s just horrible,” she said.
Police are warning people who buy and sell things on social media to be careful.
They suggest taking someone with you and meeting in a public place — exactly what Flores says she does when she buys things online.
“I go with someone,” she said. “And if it’s a person that has a license to carry, I will go with them and tell them to accompany me.”
It’s also a good idea to let friends or family know your plans if you’re meeting up with a stranger. And if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Police haven’t released a description of the suspects, but say they were possibly driving a white, four-door car. Investigators don’t know the make or model.
