A man was hospitalized Tuesday night after he was shot during an apparent robbery in Fort Worth, police said in a media release.
Fort Worth Police in the East Division went to the scene of a reported aggravated robbery at the Centreport Lake Apartments, located on the 4300 block of Dulles Drive, at approximately 7:36 p.m.
Police found the victim, who said he was supposed to meet with a woman to buy an item he had negotiated for on the internet.
Instead of a woman, the victim reportedly met two men, one of whom pulled out a gun in order to rob him.
The armed suspect fired his gun, hitting the victim twice in the right leg.
The suspect stole the victim’s car, a 2009 Mercedes Benz, and other items. The two suspects then fled the scene in the stolen vehicle.
The victim was brought to a local hospital and is in stable condition. His name has not been released by the police.
Police have not identified any suspects, and the case is under investigation by the Fort Worth Police Department Robbery Unit.
Online marketplaces have proven susceptible to robbery set-ups in recent years, given the difficulty of verifying identity or reliability, the prospect of in-person meet-ups at unknown locations, and the frequent involvement of valuable goods. Police have urged caution in the use of such buy-and-sell websites.
Fort Worth saw a rise in violent crime, such as aggravated assaults, in 2022, according to a report from WFAA.
Police Chief Neil Noakes said in April 2022 that he wanted to reduce violent crime by 10% by 2023.
Meanwhile, in nearby Dallas, crime rose 1.5% in 2022 compared to the previous year, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. This continues to be a sticking issue for many residents, some of whom attribute Dallas’ dwindling population to the increase in crime, homelessness, and vagrancy — crises the city council and other political leaders have consistently failed or declined to address.
