HOUSTON, Texas — A seller who set up an online cellphone deal was wounded Thursday afternoon on Houston’s South Side when the meetup turned into a robbery, the Houston Police Department said.
Houston Police Department crews reached the 3600 block of N. MacGregor Way around 4:30 p.m. after a shooting call. Lt. Larry Crowson said the man had been trading messages online about selling a phone.
At the apartment complex, at least two people showed up for the handoff, took the victim’s property and fired, striking him in the hip, Crowson told reporters for the Houston Police Department.
Medics moved the man to a hospital. Commanders described his condition as stable and said he was expected to recover from the wound.
The attackers left before units arrived. Houston Police Department detectives said they had not named or booked anyone Thursday night and were still piecing together how the sale was arranged.
Cash-for-phone meetups in parking lots and apartment courtyards have drawn repeated safety warnings from Houston officers when strangers agree to trade high-value electronics.
Neighbors near MacGregor Way were asked to share porch or lot video with the Houston Police Department so investigators can compare it with the early timeline of the robbery.
The South Side case stayed open overnight while Houston Police Department units looked for the people who fled after the cellphone sale collapsed into gunfire.
Crowson’s briefing made clear the victim survived the hip wound and that detectives wanted tips from anyone who watched the meetup form or break up at the complex.
Section: More Houston TX crime news
Filed under: Houston TX Public Safety News
