KDPS urges online transaction safety after shooting death
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Police say a 16-year-old was shot and killed during “an online marketplace transaction” in Kalamazoo’s Edison neighborhood.
The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety said around 2 p.m. Sunday that it received a report of a man being shot with a vehicle leaving the scene at a high rate of speed on Reed Avenue between Portage and Race streets.
When officers arrived, KDPS said they found Kevian Andre Rice, 16, with an apparent gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries, according to KDPS.
The vehicle that left the scene was found at the hospital with two people who had gunshots that were not considered life-threatening, the release said.
It’s unknown what led to the shooting, but police said the shooting appears to involve “an online marketplace transaction.”
No arrests have been made and a gun was found at the scene, according to the KPDS.
KDPS encourages people to use its “safe exchange zone” at its 150 E. Crosstown Parkway headquarters. It’s an area that is recorded so people can safely do transactions.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Criminal Investigation Division at 269.337.8139 or Silent Observer at 269.343.2100.
SAFETY DURING MARKETPLACE TRANSACTIONS
Captain Rafael Diaz with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety said the vast majority of online marketplace transactions happen without any issues.
“You can get on the internet, you can look for a pair of shoes or maybe a video game, you can look for tickets,” Diaz said. “People can meet someone, make a transaction and it’s not a big deal, especially with some of the online apps.”
But he said there are rare times when online marketplaces are used to prey on others. Diaz pointed to another incident in Kalamazoo in 2022, where 29-year-old James Douglas White Jr. was killed.
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“Jalani Nowling was just recently convicted of that. Premeditated first-degree homicide,” Diaz said. “That involved a very similar type of transaction where there was going to be a sale of shoes but that’s not what ended up happening.”
As people meet with others to exchange or sell goods, Diaz said it’s important to protect yourself and ask questions.
“If an individual changes the location from a known location to an unknown location, ask yourself why,” Diaz said.
To prevent crimes during these types of transactions, the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety also has a safe exchange zone outside its headquarters at 150 E Crosstown Parkway, which is under 24-hour surveillance.
“It’s a wide-open area, it’s a parking lot, it’s a public place, roadways are available,” Diaz said.
If you notice red flags, Diaz said trusting your gut can go a long way.
“If your ‘Spidey sense’ goes off and you say to yourself, ‘I don’t know’, then you have to ask yourself, ‘Is there another step I need to take to make sure this goes off safely?'” Diaz said.
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