Leaders at PlentyOfFish say they are stunned by the killing of a man in DeKalb County, a crime police believe ultimately had an assist from the popular dating website.
Jordan "Jo" Collins, 23, of Norcross died in a Sept. 1 shooting after inviting two women he met on the site to hang out with him and his brother at a Redan home, county police announced Tuesday. Robbery is the suspected motive for the crew of four now facing murder charges.
"We are shocked by this senseless act of violence," PlentyOfFish said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "and our thoughts are with the family of the victims and their loved ones. We intend to assist law enforcement with this investigation."
The statement said "safety is a top priority at PlentyOfFish." The site is akin to OkCupid and Tinder, whose millions of users also search for love and companionship among strangers online.
The number of people who end up in harms way through meetings on the site would appear relatively low, but just as there are stories of successful matchmaking, there are tales of death.
In July, a man was beaten to death after meeting a woman on the site in Hernando County, Florida, according to The Tampa Bay Times. In August, there was a man who died in a similar crime after a bowling date in Winter Haven, Florida, according to The Washington Post.
In September, there is Collins.
Details on his case are scant, but police said the two women, both 21 year olds from the south side of metro Atlanta, "lured" him outside the home near Lithonina by suggesting he quiet a barking dog.
Two men waited for him and he was soon shot. His surviving brother was shot at least five times when he went to help Collins.
In a statement on an online fundriasing site for funeral expenses, sister Franchesca Collins didn't discuss the specifics of the homicide. She recalled her brother as a "loving and caring son, father, brother and uncle" — one who "did not deserve to lose his life with no justification at just 23 years old."
PlentyOfFish said it strives to prevent such loss of life: "We aim to inform our community of millions of users about the necessary safety precautions to take when meeting people, whether on a dating app, through an acquaintance or at an outing."
The statement didn't say how.
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