Who was Lonnie Alford Ray? Slain dog-breeder's daughter asks dad's killers 'to turn themselves in’
LEE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: A 76-year-old dog breeder, Lonnie Alford Ray, was fatally shot and killed by a group of suspects on February 6, 2023, while he was trying to sell one of his French bulldogs for $2,500. Following the breeder's death, his daughter Karen Hannah has now issued a plea to her father's killers "to turn themselves in and do the right thing."
The incident occurred when Ray arrived at the KFC Parking lot in Bishopville, SC, with a dog, according to Daily Mail. Shortly after his arrival, he was shot after one of the suspects pulled a gun and then fled the scene with the dog. Around eight shots were fired during the robbery, states USA Today. He was taken to South Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center in Hartsville, South Carolina where he later died.
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Who was Lonnie Alford Ray?
Born in Darlington County on June 6, 1946, Ray was a father of four. Sharing details about the victim, Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon said, “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," according to WBTW. Ray served in the army from 1966 to 1968 in the Vietnam War, states Legacy. Ray was "the best breeder in South Carolina," according to The New York Times.
Similar incidents
In September 2022, a California man, Earl Choi, was charged with grand larceny after surveillance footage showed him stealing a dog out of a parked car, reports New York Post. Prior to this, in 2021, Lady Gaga’s two French Bulldogs were stolen during their walk by a suspect who shot and injured the singer's dog walker Ryan Fischer. One of three men charged in the shooting of Lady Gaga's dog walker, James Howard Jackson, in August 2022 and in December 2022, pleaded no contest to one count of attempted murder, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, states LA Times.
'Second-most favored breed in the US'
French bulldogs have become increasingly popular in recent years, with the breed being the second most favored in the United States in 2020, according to the American Kennel Club. After labrador retrievers and French bulldogs, the top 10 breeds include German shepherds, golden retrievers, bulldogs, poodles, beagles, rottweilers, and German shorthaired pointers, as per an AP report. Dachshunds also made it to the top 10 for the first time since 2013.
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CrimeSC.