A 76-year-old dog breeder who thought he was about to sell a French bulldog was instead shot and killed by a group of suspects who stole the prized pup outside a South Carolina KFC, authorities said.
Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon said Lonnie Alford Ray, a father of four, went to the fast food joint’s parking lot Monday after arranging the sale of the in-demand dog when several men snatched the French bulldog’s leash and fired several shots at Ray.
He was pronounced dead shortly after he was shot.
Simon called the slaying “heartless” and said he lost his life over “something senseless.”
“Talked to the family,” Simon said, according to WBTW. “He won the battle with cancer. He was in the military, been in wars and for him to lose his life over something senseless of trying to do an exchange or sell a French bulldog and for someone to take his life, that’s heartless.”
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Ray was a dog lover who bred animals including hunting dogs and French bulldogs, Simon said, according to the New York Times.
A 77-year-old friend with Ray at the time of the botched sale was shot at, but was not injured, Simon said, according to the Times.
French bulldogs have become a lucrative dog breed with the four-legged friends worth thousands of dollars. But the much-sought after breed has also led to instances of violence in attempts to steal the dogs.
A dog walker for Lady Gaga was shot and badly wounded in 2021 before a man stole two of her French bulldogs. The shooter later pleaded no contest in the case and was hit with a 21-year prison sentence.
With Post wires
