Letgo iPhone sale ends in shooting
RIVIERA BEACH — A 21-yearold was shot this month while trying to sell an iPhone X in Riviera Beach through the smartphone app Letgo, city police records state.
The supposed buyer, 20-year-old Brian Vanhook, reportedly pulled a gun on the Coral Springs man and told him to “just give up the phone.” When the man didn’t, Vanhook shot the man in the chest and arm, authorities said.
Police arrested Vanhook on Monday afternoon on charges of armed robbery, attempted murder and illegally carrying a concealed firearm. A judge declined to set bail for Vanhook, who records indicate stays around Riviera Beach, at a hearing Tuesday morning at the Palm Beach County Jail.
The 21-year-old told police he connected with a “Deondre Fields” through Letgo, a smartphone app that allows people to sell items without a store or middleman.
The two texted and agreed to meet at 6 p.m. July 6 at the Tate Recreational Center so the man could sell the phone for $900.
The supposed buyer, whom authorities later identified as Vanhook, got in the seller’s car and asked him to drive him to his home on the 1500 block of West 10th Street so he could get the money for the phone. He reportedly lifted his shirt to show the man he wasn’t armed.
When they pulled up to the driveway, Vanhook handed the driver some $20s and $10s and told the man to count it while he went inside to grab the rest of the money. He then pulled out a gun and told the driver to hand over the phone.
The man fought with Vanhook for the gun, and Vanhook fired, shooting the man in the chest and arm. Vanhook reportedly grabbed the man’s phone during the struggle and threw it in the road.
The man drove off and stopped on Australian Avenue and asked someone to call 911. He was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach to be treated.
Police found two shell casings at the scene.
About a week later, while the man was waiting for city police to release his car from evidence, he found the gunman’s Facebook page, where he went as “Jimmy Dukes.” The man then found a mug shot of “Jimmy Dukes” online and realized he was Vanhook.
Police found multiple videos and photos of Vanhook with guns on his Facebook page, records show.
Vanhook is on community supervision until April 2019, state records show, after being found guilty in a 2016 theft case. He also has an open armed aggravated assault charge from an incident in January to which he has pleaded not guilty.