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Man Robbed During Sale Of Gun

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.- Grand Rapids Police are investigating an armed robbery that happened Saturday night around 11:00 p.m. Police say the robbery happened during the sale of a gun in the 4000 block of Tangle Circle Drive SE which is a group of apartments.

Police say the 53-year-old Rockford man was selling a handgun to a man he met on a peer-to-peer website for gun sales when the suspect didn’t show up for the sale; the man went looking for him around the apartments. The suspect then robbed the man from behind and stole the handgun. If you have information on this robbery, you’re being asked to call the Grand Rapids Police Department at 1-616-456-3604 or Silent Observer at 1-616-774-2345.

The Grand Rapids Police are also reminding citizens of precautionary steps to take during peer-to-peer sales.

·        Complete as much of the transaction as possible via established sites that have built-in safeguards (user registration, feedback systems, buyer support).
·        Conduct transactions in well-populated areas and during daylight hours.  Areas that are video recorded may provide additional deterrent to criminal behavior.
·        Meet in locations that you are familiar with.
·        Know who you are meeting, what they look like, and how they will be arriving to the site. 
·        Use a third-party to complete the transaction if needed.  (In this specific case some Federal Firearms dealers may assist in a gun sale for a processing fee).
·        Criminals may target an over eager seller or buyer, in hopes that the desire to complete a deal will encourage risk taking.  As always, “if it seems too good to be true it probably is..”
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