Why We Carry: 20-Year-Old Shot And Killed During Meet-Up To Sell Car

HOUSTON, TEXAS — A 20-year-old man is dead after he and a friend went to a home in hopes of purchasing a car. Police say Kelvin Shepard and his friend went to a home in a quiet neighborhood to meet with the supposed sellers of the car, only to be robbed at gunpoint.

When they arrived at the home, two unidentified suspects jumped into the back seat of Shepard’s car, and shot Shepard. He and his friend were able to get out of the vehicle before the suspects took off.

Shepard died at the scene.

The suspects got away in Shepard’s car, which is a forest green 2006 Chevrolet Malibu, with several dents on the front right side and a broken headlight.

Some takeaways from this story, in hopes of helping others in the future escape a similar fate, are as follows:

• Meet in a public place when transacting business from an online sale
• Keep your vehicle doors locked at all times
• Maintain situational awareness, and realize if something is off
• Don’t go alone; Bring someone along with you
• Carry something for self-defense such as pepper spray or a firearm, and train with what you carry

I doubt this young man thought he’d be in any type of trouble like this, as the meet-up seemed innocent enough. It’s terrible to hear of these stories, but important for us to learn from them in our efforts to create a safer world.