A planned online firearms purchase turned into an armed robbery in a Daphne parking lot, and two Mobile residents are now in custody in connection with it.
Travon Worsley and Ka’Leyce Gulley, both 19, were arrested Thursday in connection with a Wednesday, July 29 robbery at the Daphne Sam’s Club, according to the Daphne Police Department. Investigators say the victim had arranged through an online marketplace to buy two firearms from the suspects, then was robbed at gunpoint when the parties met to complete the deal.
How the deal turned dangerous
“The victim was robbed at gunpoint during a meetup that was planned online to complete a purchase of two firearms,” DPD said in a statement.
Police have not released details about what was taken or whether the guns used in the robbery have been recovered, and investigators emphasized the case remains active. “Other suspects could be involved and the case is still under investigation,” the department said.
The risks of online marketplace meetups
The case fits a pattern that police departments across the Gulf Coast have warned about for years: transactions arranged through online marketplaces and social media bring strangers together with cash and valuable goods, and a portion of those meetings end in robbery. Both buyers and sellers of firearms are especially exposed, since arranging a private gun sale can involve larger sums of cash and more at-stake merchandise than a typical phone or sneaker deal.
Many departments, including Daphne’s, designate their parking lots as internet purchase exchange zones — well-lit areas under camera coverage where buyers and sellers are encouraged to meet. A busy retail parking lot in daylight is safer than a secluded location, but as Wednesday’s robbery shows, it is not risk-free when the counterparty intends a robbery from the start.
The charges ahead
Worsley and Gulley are expected to face robbery charges in Baldwin County District Court, where bond and initial appearances will be set. The case remains open, and Daphne investigators are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the Daphne Police Department at (251) 620-1911.
The department has not released whether the firearms involved in the planned sale have been recovered, or whether the same suspects are linked to other marketplace meetups in the area. More arrests, police caution, are possible.