ROSEDALE, Md. — A murder in a popular Baltimore County parking lot was the result of an attempted robbery during an online selling transaction.
"This is an example of what can go wrong when you are doing online transactions like this," said Officer Jennifer Peach.
Peach said 20-year-old Kumar Burney from Rosedale arranged to buy an expensive pair of shoes from a man on a popular selling app.
They met at the Golden Ring Shopping Center in Rosedale at around 5:30 Sunday evening.
"While this exchange was occurring, the buyer apparently attempted to rob the seller of the item he was there to buy. At that point, the seller actually retrieved a hand gun and shot the buyer one time," said Peach.
The seller called 911 and waited on scene. Police recovered a loaded handgun from Burney, who later died at the hospital.
"That supports the allegation that he was actually committing a robbery at the time," said Peach.
Investigators interviewed and released the seller.
"He is not in custody and he is not charged with anything at this time," said Peach.
Once the police investigation is complete, the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office will decide if charges should be filed.
Police said this scary situation is exactly why they encourage people to meet in busy parking lots when completing an exchange with a stranger.
"Some place that's not private. It’s not off the beaten path, where other people are going to be able to see what’s going on. That makes it very less likely that something bad will happen," said Peach.
Baltimore County Police have designated their precincts as safe exchange zones and encourage people to meet in front of the building for online sale exchanges. They also released Holiday Crime Prevention Tips.
Anyone with information should call police at 410-307-2020.
