 Detectives are questioning four people about the shooting of a couple who were robbed while trying to buy their teenage son's first vehicle. Some news accounts said the robbers stole the family's vehicle, which was not identified. The 53-year-old father suffered four wounds to his chest, stomach and legs when he tried to shield his wife after two men pulled guns about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The 55-year-old woman's right upper arm shattered when she was struck by a single bullet.  The robbery and shooting of two people in southeast Kansas City on Wednesday night may be related to another robbery a few hours earlier. A Liberty couple and their teenage son had gone there to look at a 2007 Hyundai Sonata advertised for sale on Craigslist. The father and teen test drove the vehicle with a suspect who called himself "AJ," according to a Kansas City Police Department report. After completing the test drive, the victims and the suspect returned to the apartment complex. He told them he had to call his wife and had walked away when two other people approached them, pulled black handguns and demanded their money. Police said that after the father and son finished test driving a 2007 Hyundai Sonata with a third suspect, the gunmen appeared and demanded money. The teen told police that when the suspects pointed their weapons at his mother that his father stepped in front of her. They opened fire when the father stepped in front of his wife, then grabbed her purse and fled. One grabbed the woman’s purse and shot the man one more time before they fled in the Hyundai, which was later found abandoned. The incident was reported about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the area of East 84th Terrace and Drury Circle, located west of Interstate 435. The three suspects remain at large. In both cases, the victims were held up while meeting someone to conduct a sale or purchase of items advertised on Craigslist, according to police reports. Police later found the abandoned Hyundai and purse, minus the cash. Anyone with information is urged to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. Liberty-based Ferrellgas announced later Thursday that it has contributed $5,000 toward a reward to help catch the robbers. The injured man works for the company. A total of up to $7,000 is now being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.
– A Kansas City couple who went to check out a car they saw on Craigslist were shot and robbed Wednesday night, USA Today reports. They had wanted to purchase the vehicle for their 16-year-old son, who was with them but not injured. Police say the 53-year-old dad and his son had test-driven a 2007 Hyundai Sonata and were discussing payment when the seller said he had to call his wife and momentarily walked away, according to KCTV. That’s when two other men reportedly approached the family and demanded cash, then started shooting. As the dad tried to keep his wife and son out of the barrage of bullets, he was shot four times in the chest, stomach, and legs, while his 55-year-old wife took a bullet to her upper right arm, which was “shattered,” reports the TV station. The men took the wife's purse, which had $3,000 in cash for the car purchase, say police. Authorities believe the incident may be related to an earlier armed robbery that day in which a Kansas City man says he tried to sell his Xbox and gaming accessories to a man who saw his ad on Craigslist, reports the Kansas City Star. As the potential buyer was examining the wares, two other men reportedly arrived sporting a gun; the three men then lifted the Xbox and other items and ran into nearby woods, police say.