The Polk County Sheriff's Office says a meet-up for an online transaction ended in the loss of a life on Sunday night.
According to Deputies, 21-year-old Jeffrey Morrow, Jr., joined a friend to the Family Dollar store located on South Combee Road in Lakeland so that his friend could sell an item he had advertised for sale online.
The seller had arranged to meet the buyer in the parking lot of the Family Dollar to conduct the transaction.
After the seller parked his truck in the parking lot, an unknown black male approached the vehicle, stole the item from the seller and took off running.
Morrow and the seller jumped out of the truck and attempted to chase after the suspect. Shots were fired by the suspect and the seller hid behind the truck. While crouched down, he saw Morrow laying on the ground next to the truck, suffering from a gunshot wound.
The seller ran into the Family Dollar and called 911. Morrow was transported to LRHMC, where he was pronounced dead.
Deputies say Morrow recently moved to Polk County from Pennsylvania.
The suspect is described as a black male in his 20s, wearing a white or light gray zipped up hooded jacket, a red shirt, white sneakers and was last seen running through the Marathon gas station parking lot just north of the Family Dollar in Lakeland.
