JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tuesday’s social media shopping exchange that JSO said sparked a deadly officer-involved shooting prompted a warning about online meet-ups.
Lodina Britton told Action News Jax she lives on Harts Road, the location of the robbery and officer-involved shooting.
She explained, “I don’t want to meet people purchasing that I’ve never met before. I just don’t trust it – there are too many killings.”
The longtime Jacksonville resident said that her husband uses social media marketplaces despite her concerns.
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“If a person thinks they can get a good deal they’ll say, why not – we have to be careful,” Britton described.
Action News Jax has reported on these kinds of victims on several occasions.
In 2019 a seventeen-year-old was smashed over the head with a pipe when a social media sale took a wrong turn.
Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson said the meetups are huge opportunities for criminals.
He recommended shoppers bow out if they notice warning signs.
Police say an online shopping exchange gone wrong is what lead to the deadly officer involved shooting at a local apartment complex. Investigators' warning to families shopping on social media apps AT 6:30 on @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/XrRk8CHfey
— Beth Rousseau (@BethANJax) January 22, 2020
Carson said, “If people want to meet after dark if they want to meet at their location – those are red flags.”
He added to choose the location wisely – somewhere well lit, with a lot of people and cameras – ideally a police station.
There’s a JSO substation located less than 2 miles from the location of Tuesday’s robbery and officer-involved shooting.
Britton said she gives her husband the same advice.
“I tell him, if he does it, to go to a place that’s well lit, go to a public area you? Don’t go to someplace secluded,” she said.
JSO suggested online exchanges take place at their headquarters or one of their 6 substations.
- Police Memorial Building – Located at: 501 E. Bay Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202
- Zone 1 Substation – Located at: Gateway Town Center, 5258-13 Norwood Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32208
- Zone 2 Substation – Located at: Regency Square Mall, 9501 Arlington Expressway, Jacksonville, FL 32225
- Zone 3 Substation – Located off of Prominence Parkway, 8875 Liberty Ridge Drive, Suite 110, Jacksonville, FL 32256
- Zone 4 Substation – Located at: Cedar Hills Shopping Center, 3726 Blanding Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL 32210
- Zone 5 Substation – Located at: Edward Waters College, 1767 Kings Road, Jacksonville, FL 32209
- Zone 6 Substation – Located at: Highland Square Shopping Center, 936 Dunn Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32218
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