MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — Police are still on the lookout for several suspects after an online marketplace meetup resulted in a shootout at a popular Mt. Juliet shopping center Friday evening.
The Mt. Juliet Police Department said it responded to the Target parking lot at Providence Marketplace around 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10 after reports of gunfire, including a bullet that hit the window of a nearby Red Robin. Two off-duty officers who had been eating at the restaurant jumped into action before other officers joined them at the scene.
Upon further investigation, police said they learned a Smyrna man and his wife drove to the parking lot to sell a firearm to someone they met online.
“While the husband, an adult male, was outside of his vehicle meeting the person to sell this firearm, he was ambushed by another person who began to shoot at him,” Mt. Juliet Police Capt. Tyler Chandler said in a Friday night press conference.
According to authorities, the seller grabbed a gun out of his car and began firing back. Three suspects took off in an SUV, which was captured on license plate readers and found later that night in Nashville.
Police warn of online marketplace meetups after Mt. Juliet, TN parking lot shootout (wkrn.com)
Being involved in a private cash transaction with a total stranger is always risky. The last one I did was in the parking lot of a gun range, and it was proposed by the other side to which I agreed. Still, I checked the person on arrival, and I am sure he did the same to me and we both were properly “attired.”
“While the husband, an adult male, …”
Well, these days you have to specify, I guess…
Trying to rob a guy you know is bringing a gun seems like poor victim selection.
That said, doesn’t a private sale to a total unknown fall afoul of the rule not to sell to prohibited parties? Or can you argue the three monkeys because it’s only prohibited if you know it’s a prohibited person? But then again, what about out of state vs. in-state buyer?