Family behind billboards promoting ‘safe online exchanges’ tells son’s story, says to look for ‘red flags’
Olivia Hayes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Parents of a Virginia man killed in a 2018 online sale meet up turned shooting say they were moved to put up billboards promoting ‘safe online exchanges’ after a Columbia man was killed in a similar way.
Michael and Diane Grey tell ABC 17 News that they knew they needed to take action after hearing about the death of Michael Ryan Burke. Burke was shot to death on Jan. 18 in the 1400 block of Ridgemont Court. Court documents allege Burke had used Facebook Marketplace to arrange to arrange a cellphone sale.
Three adults and a juvenile were charged in Burke’s shooting death.
“The first thing I did was I got on the phone with Lamar and said I want to put billboards up in Columbia, Missouri,” Michael Grey said.
The Grey family and their group “Justice For Joshua Grey” is working with Lamar Advertising to put up 11 billboards in the Mid-Missouri area. There will be nine electronic billboards around Columbia: One in Ashland, one near Jefferson City, one near Boonville and six around the Lake of the Ozarks. Since Columbia doesn’t allow electronic billboards, they are having static ads printed and placed in the city soon. Another seven will appear in Kansas City and Springfield.
Joshua Grey was killed similarly to Burke in 2018, while meeting up to sell a phone that was originally arranged online.
“Josh went online and he went on an app called Let Go, very similar to Craigslist or Marketplace, and a gentleman said meet me at this corner store at 1:30 in the afternoon. So Josh did,” Michael Grey said. “The store had a video surveillance camera in the back. It showed Josh getting out the car. Josh walks over, he hands out the phone and a 15-year-old kid pulls out a gun and shoots Josh.”
Joshua’s mother, Diane Grey, said many people can avoid a similar situation happening to them by keeping an eye out for red flags early on.
“You don’t know who’s at the end of that keyboard,” Diane Grey said. “They changed the location multiple times, like they were going to meet at a certain place and then they said oh I can’t get a ride there, can we meet here?”
She also detailed tips to keep in mind for people looking to make a safe online exchange or sale, but have no safe online exchange zone in their area.
“Take somebody with you, make sure somebody knows where you’re going and what you’re doing,” Diane Grey said. “A very public place where there’s there’s security cameras everywhere, some place that you know is well lit, a lot of activity is going on.”
Michael and Diane said they look to eventually take their call-to-action directly to the online platforms.
“When you’re buying or selling or something what should happen is something should pop up and it’s says hey, here are the safe exchange zones in this zip code,” Michael Grey said.
The Grey Family has billboards in seven states now, including Missouri. They want to have their billboards and message in all 50 states one day.
“There’s probably other people that have been in the same situation and maybe the same thing has happened but we just don’t hear about it,” Michael Grey said. “That’s why these billboards are so important. Safe exchange zones save lives.”
Columbia has three safe exchange zones recommended by law enforcement. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office and the University of Missouri Police Department’s lobbies or parking lots. Along with the Columbia Police Department’s online exchange zone in its downtown department. CPD told ABC 17 News its still working to get a sign put up for the zone.