Just days after an elderly Marietta, Georgia, couple were killed responding to an ad on Craigslist, a dog breeder and his friend were confronted in a similar set-up robbery attempt at a Stone Mountain home.  Fortunately for both men, the breeder’s friend came armed:

Police spokeswoman Mekka Parish said that two Winder men, one of them a breeder of English Bulldogs who had advertised dogs for sale for $2,000, went to the Fairforest Drive home to complete the sale.

Parish said the breeder, identified in the DeKalb police incident report as 40-year-old Walter Gonzalez, was initially hesitant to meet the buyer late at night at the home, but did so after the suspect offered him an additional $500.

When the breeder and a second Winder man, Salvador Burgos, arrived with the dog, they saw the suspect and another man standing outside by the garage.

“Mr. Gonzalez got out of the vehicle and met with the suspect near the vehicle,” the incident report states. “After Mr. Gonzalez showed the suspect the dog, the suspect drew his weapon on him.”

According to the report, the suspect, whose name has not been released, then demanded that Burgos get out of the vehicle.

“Mr. Burgos stated that as he moved over from the driver’s side to the passenger side of the vehicle, he drew his firearm and fired upon the suspect,” the report states.

Hernandez and Burgos told police they left the scene because they were afraid that the other man that was with the suspect would return, but stopped a short distance away and called police.

Responding officers found the suspect dead in the front yard of the home.

The deceased suspect has been tied to four other robberies where people attempting to sell items online were targeted, and there may be more victims..

Smyrna, Georgia police have recently introduced a policy of allowing online sellers to meet customers in the police parking lot to add a level of perceived safety for online sales.