Three members of the group Dads Against Predators “lured” a man to a store before gunfire erupted — and now warrants have been issued in the North Carolina case, officials said.
The group members are accused of using the Meetup app to get the man to come to a Target store in Winston-Salem. When the man arrived on June 28, all three members started to beat him on the head repeatedly, according to the city’s police department.
The 25-year-old man reportedly pulled out a gun and fired a shot to try to stop the attack. The gunfire injured one of the accused attackers, but the assault continued until the group took his gun and ran off, officials said.
Now, months later, arrest warrants have been issued for all three men identified as suspects in the case. The man who had previously been identified as the “victim” by officials also is facing warrants.
In response to McClatchy News’ requests for comment about the warrants tied to the shooting at its Hanes Mall Boulevard store, Target shared an emailed statement.
“I can confirm we’re aware and will continue to provide law enforcement with any information needed for their investigation,” a spokesperson wrote.
The day after the shooting, a man went to an Ohio medical center with a gunshot wound to his leg, officials said.
Then less than a week later, officials said that man and two other people were responsible for the Target store attack. The three men — from North Carolina and Ohio — were part of a social media group called Dads Against Predators, McClatchy News reported.
These moron thugs like “Dads Against Predators” aren’t just going to get themselves shot, someday they’re going to get a bystander (or several) shot (or possibly even killed) as well. Just wait until one of their “victims” shows up with an ak-47 or something, (or vice versa, when one of their members goes completely off the rails). Nothing they’re doing is nobel or honorable. It’s all just self-gratification and pandering clickbait/personality cult b.s. that won’t end until their antics become so dreadful, blatantly illegal, and psychotic, that various laws are codified to combat their destructive behavior. Meanwhile, the more publicity they get, the more others are encouraged to engage in the same unfettered idiocy (monkey see, monkey do).
These vigilantes are out of control. This has to stop!!!
I can understand the weapons charge, but not the “simple affray” charge on the victim. He was defending himself. I can’t carry a handgun, but if a group of thugs attacked me, I’m going to grab whatever I can and beat the living snot out of them to defend myself.
I’m pleased by most of the Yahoo! comments. People are actually lashing out against those thugs, instead of supporting them and saying the victim got what he deserved for trying to hook up with a minor.
Time to start a new vigilante group… PAD. Predators against Dads!
He had every right to defend himself. There should not be any charges. He also should not have fallen for this and figure out since he did go, does he need help, or truly thought it was not an underage.Either way he had the right to defend.
It’s all fun and games until somebody gets shot.
And what infrastructure did these men use to ” lure” the individual? Clearly the machine increases attacks and in many cases exacerbate the situation. Who’d have the people believe otherwise?
Okay so I’m not quite sure what Meetup is for in the US but here it’s used mostly for group events. Like there is very few 1:1 aspects if any as it isn’t a dating app. Yes you can message people but even to do that you need to be part of the same group or already have their contact info stored in your phone. A