Carlos Carrazana-Ricardo likely experienced the same sense of anticipation that many people do when they set out to inspect a car they’re interested in purchasing. After an 80-mile drive to Baltimore, he decided that the 2006 Acura TL in question wasn’t for him. Tragically, as he departed, the seller allegedly shot him, resulting in his untimely demise.
Ricardo traveled to Baltimore with his friend after seeing the Acura on Facebook Marketplace. They inspected the car but ultimately opted against purchasing it. According to court records reviewed by the Baltimore Banner, as they drove away, the seller shot at the car and hit Carrazana-Ricardo in the head. His friend took over driving duties and tried to find help but ultimately crashed.
Emergency workers took Carlos to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center where he succumbed to his injuries. Police used his phone to identify the seller, 18-year-old Marques Harris. They say that they found 19 shell casings from two different guns at the scene of the shooting.
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A search warrant executed by the police at Harris’ mother’s residence resulted in the discovery of a 9mm handgun. However, since Harris is not yet 21 years old, he is not legally permitted to possess a handgun, as reported by the Baltimore Banner. The Banner reports that in an interview with detectives, Harris maintains that he met Carrazana-Ricardo along with his brother, but the two left the area after their interaction, claiming they only heard gunshots afterward. Interestingly, technology placed in the city called ShotSpotter heard the gunfire a minute before surveillance footage showed Harris leaving the scene.
Sadly, this isn’t the only case of this sort of thing happening in the last few months. Back in October, another teen was shot during the attempted sale of a scooter posted to Facebook Marketplace. In that case, the teen survived. The lesson is clear though, be safe when making a deal with strangers, and when possible, maybe do those deals at a police station.
H/T to Jalopnik