Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

UPDATE: Police said there was a second robbery on Thursday evening, Aug. 4, also involving two suspects. Two teenage girls were robbed at gunpoint on Church Street. Police aren’t ruling out the possibility that the suspects are the same ones involved in the incident at Oakhurst Elementary School. For more information about the second robbery, click here. 

Decatur Police say an attempt to sell two pairs of shoes at Oakhurst Elementary School ended in gunfire on Aug. 4. No one was seriously injured, however.

Police responded to the report of gunfire at 6:42 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 4.

Lt. Jennifer Ross said when officers arrived, they saw two men who told them they’d gone to the elementary school to complete a transaction to sell shoes arranged using a “buy/sell app.” They told officers they considered the school “a safe place” to complete the transaction, Ross said.

“They initially met with the potential buyers, two males, behind the school but were worried the transaction was not legitimate and left,” Ross said. “The two males contacted them back and asked that they return to sell the shoes. They met with one of the potential customers near the adjacent playground but he did not have enough money to pay the agreed upon price.”

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The second man “suddenly appeared from behind the school” and fired a gun at the victims, who ran to their vehicle. The suspects fled toward Feld Avenue. No one was seriously hurt, but one victim scraped his thigh after he fell down while trying to run away.

Ross provided the following descriptions of the suspects:

Suspect #1: Black male, late teens-early 20’s, slender build, approximately 5’6″-5’9″, light complexion, wearing dark shorts, a light colored shirt and Nike shoes.

Suspect #2: Black male, late teens-early 20’s, stocky build, approximately 6 feet tall, medium complexion, wearing dark pants, a blue or black hooded sweatshirt and armed with a black handgun.

“Please exercise extreme caution when arranging to meet to conduct purchases made through online websites and apps,” Ross said. “The front lobby of the Decatur Police Department is open 24 hours a day and can easily be used as a meeting place. If a seller refuses to meet at a police department, you may want to avoid making the purchase.  Trust your instincts and back out of any meeting or transaction where you feel suspicious or unsafe.”

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