A metro Atlanta woman is turning a terrifying near-death experience into a warning for others after she was shot in the face during an attempted robbery while trying to sell a watch through Facebook Marketplace.
Zariyona Rowe said what began as a routine online sale quickly became a life-threatening encounter when the prospective buyer allegedly pulled a gun on her during their meeting.
“He put a gun on my head, and he was like, ‘Give me the watch or I’m gonna kill you,’” Rowe recalled in an interview with Atlanta News First.
Instead of complying, Rowe made a split-second decision to drive away. That decision may have saved her life, but not before the suspect allegedly opened fire.
According to Rowe, a bullet entered the side of her face and traveled through her nasal cavity before exiting near her jaw.
“The bullet went in right here on the side of my face,” she explained. “It went all the way through, right below the bone in my jaw, came all the way through my nasal cavity, and came up right here.”
Video footage later revealed that the suspect continued shooting as she sped away from the scene.
Despite suffering a gunshot wound, Rowe remained conscious and drove herself to a nearby gas station in search of help.
What happened next was almost as shocking as the attack itself.
“I called my mom, and I’m bleeding everywhere. I’m driving fast, and I’m yelling out the window, like, ‘Help me, I got shot, I got shot,’ and nobody’s doing anything,” she said.
Eventually, one person stopped to assist her:
“When I saw the first guy that was willing to help me, I just stayed with him. I didn’t even look for anybody else.”
Rowe underwent surgery the following day and is now recovering. Despite the trauma she endured, she says she remains in good spirits and hopes others can learn from her experience.
Her message is simple but urgent.
“Life or death situation, make sure you’re ready to react,” Rowe said. “I kept my car in drive. You gotta be ready to react.”
The incident highlights growing concerns about safety risks associated with online marketplace transactions. Law enforcement agencies across the country routinely advise buyers and sellers to meet in public locations, preferably designated safe exchange zones monitored by security cameras or police departments.
Facebook Marketplace and similar platforms have become increasingly popular for buying and selling goods, but criminals have also exploited them to lure victims into robberies and scams.
For Rowe, the ordeal serves as a reminder that a seemingly ordinary transaction can become dangerous in an instant.
As she continues her recovery, she hopes her story encourages others to stay alert, trust their instincts, and prioritize their safety when meeting strangers from online marketplaces.
“I kept my car in drive,” she said. “You gotta be ready to react.”
