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The heartbroken daughter of a 76-year-old South Carolina veteran and French bulldog breeder, who was fatally shot during a botched sale, has issued a gut-wrenching plea to her father’s killers ‘to turn themselves in and do the right thing.’

Karen Hannah was inconsolable after learning that her father Lonnie A. Ray had been gunned down Monday night in the parking lot of a KFC in Bishopville, SC, about 53 miles northeast of Columbia, while trying to sell one of his French bulldogs for $2,500.

Ray had reportedly met the buyer online and spoke with them before their arranged in-person meeting. Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon, said Ray has a companion, who accompanies him during these transactions, and who was with him Monday night.  

When Ray met the prospective buyer in the parking lot, he was shot dead after one of the suspects pulled out a gun. The sheriff said there were, at least, three or four men involved. Ray’s friend was not injured. The suspect- with dog in tow – then fled the scene in a getaway car. 

The sheriff called Ray probably ‘the best breeder in South Carolina.’ He told The New York Times that Ray was ‘a cancer survivor…he’s been in the Vietnam War…he survived that,’ he said. ‘He thought that he was just going to make a sale of a dog. He not only loses the French bulldog, but he lost his life in the process.’

The French bulldog that has been missing since Monday night's botched dog sale in South Carolina. The price of the dog was $2,500

The French bulldog that has been missing since Monday night’s botched dog sale in South Carolina. The price of the dog was $2,500 

After the shooting, Ray was transported to South Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center in Hartsville, SC but died shortly after. An autopsy was performed on Friday to determine the number of gunshots he sustained.

Meanwhile, the suspect still remains at large and the dog is still missing.

South Carolina authorities are sifting through surveillance footage to find the shooter and learn if others were involved in the heinous crime.

When DailyMail.com contacted the sheriff’s department to find an update on the case there was no one available. 

According to Simon, Ray of Darlington County, SC, had bred and sold dogs for some time and knew what safety precautions to take when arranging a sale, the Times reported.

Since Ray’s death, the sheriff’s office in Bishopville have tried to organize a safe meeting area to reduce future risks associated with transactions conducted over social media, NBC News reported.

Ray's heartbroken daughter, Karen Hannah issues a plea for the people who murdered her beloved dad to turn themselves in and  to 'do the right thing'

Ray’s heartbroken daughter, Karen Hannah issues a plea for the people who murdered her beloved dad to turn themselves in and  to ‘do the right thing’

The victim's daughter weeps after learning about her father's murder, as an unidentified  friend tries to console her

The victim’s daughter weeps after learning about her father’s murder, as an unidentified  friend tries to console her

The parking lot of a KFC in Bishopville, SC - about 53 miles northeast of Columbia, where Monday night's shooting took place

The parking lot of a KFC in Bishopville, SC – about 53 miles northeast of Columbia, where Monday night’s shooting took place 

A photo of Ray holding a pup. The seasoned dog breeder was gunned down on Monday during a botched dog sale

A photo of Ray holding a pup. The seasoned dog breeder was gunned down on Monday during a botched dog sale 

French bulldogs are a popular breed with hefty price tags. Lady Gaga’s two Frenchies were stolen and her dogwalker shot during the robbery in 2021.

Gaga’s dogwalker survived and was hospitalized and her two dogs were later retrieved.    

James Howard Jackson, one of three men and two accomplices who participated in the violent robbery, pleaded no contest to one count of attempted murder, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Jackson and others drove around Hollywood on February 24, 2021 ‘looking for French bulldogs,’ prosecutors said previously. 

They found Lady Gaga’s dog walker, Ryan Fischer, 41, with the pop star’s three pets named Asia, Koji and Gustav.

Tough time: Lady Gaga is pictured here with her French Bulldog Koji, which was stolen off the street during an armed attack on her dog walker on February 24, 2021

Tough time: Lady Gaga is pictured here with her French Bulldog Koji, which was stolen off the street during an armed attack on her dog walker on February 24, 2021 

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