Daughter breaks down after her French bulldog breeder father, 76, is shot dead during $2,5000 sale – issues gut-wrenching plea to killers ‘to turn themselves in’
- Lonnie A. Ray, 76, a beloved French bulldog breeder was fatally shot Monday
- His heartbroken daughter, Karen Hannah pleads that murderer come forward
- The unidentified suspect still remains at large and puppy is still missing
The heartbroken daughter of a beloved 76-year-old South Carolina man and French bulldog breeder, fatally shot during a botched sale, issues a gut-wrenching plea to her father’s killers ‘to turn themselves in and do the right thing.’
Karen Hannah was inconsolable after learning that her father Lonnie A. Ray was gunned down Monday night in the parking lot of a KFC in Bishopville, SC, about 53 miles northeast of Columbia, while trying to sell one of his French bulldogs for $2,500.
Ray had reportedly met the buyer online and spoke with them before their arranged in-person meeting. Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon, said Ray has a companion, who accompanies him during these in-person transactions, and who was with him Monday night.
When Ray met the prospective buyer in the parking lot, he was shot dead after one of the suspects pulled out a gun. The sheriff said there were, at least, three or four men involved. Ray’s friend was not injured. The suspect- with dog in tow – then fled the scene in a getaway car.
The sheriff called Ray probably ‘the best breeder in South Carolina.’ He told The New York Times that Ray was ‘a cancer survivor…he’s been in the Vietnam War…he survived that,’ he said. ‘He thought that he was just going to make a sale of a dog. He not only loses the French bulldog, but he lost his life in the process.’
Lonnie A. Ray was gunned down Monday night in the parking lot of a KFC in Bishopville, SC- about 53 miles northeast of Columbia, while trying to sell one of his French bulldogs. The sheriff called Simon called Ray probably ‘the best breeder in South Carolina’
The French bulldog that is missing since Monday night’s botched dog sale in South Carolina. The price of the dog was $2,500
After the shooting, Ray was transported to South Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center in Hartsville, SC but died shortly after. An autopsy was performed on Friday to determine the number of gunshots he sustained.
Meanwhile, the suspect still remains at large and the dog is still missing.
South Carolina authorities are sifting through surveillance footage to find the shooter and learn if others were involved in the heinous crime.
When DailyMail.com contacted the sheriff’s department to find an update on the case there was no one available.
According to Simon, Ray of Darlington County, SC, had bred and sold dogs for some time, and he knew what safety precautions to take when arranging a sale, the Times reported.
Since Ray’s death, the sheriff’s office in the Bishopville location are now trying to organize a safe meeting area to reduce future risks associated with transactions conducted over social media, NBC News reported.
Ray’s heartbroken daughter, Karen Hannah issues a plea for the people who murdered her beloved dad to turn themselves in and to ‘do the right thing’
The parking lot of a KFC in Bishopville, SC- about 53 miles northeast of Columbia, where Monday night’s shooting took place
The Frenchie puppies are featured on a Ray’s Facebook site and is how the unidentified suspect first learned about the pups for sale
French bulldogs are a popular breed with hefty price tags. Lady Gaga’s two Frenchies were stolen and her dogwalker shot during the robbery.
Gaga’s dogwalker survived and was hospitalized and her two dogs were later retrieved.
