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He thought he was going to buy a computer, but then he was killed

June 6, 2017 at 5:08 p.m. EDT
Rawle Farley was killed during a robbery after arranging to buy a computer at his apartment in College Park, Md., according to Prince George’s County police. (N/A)

Rawle Farley thought he was going to buy another computer.

At least that was the plan when Farley opened the door to his College Park apartment to a man Farley had invited back to his home a day after Farley already had bought one computer from him, according to police.

But as soon as the door to Farley’s apartment swung open on the afternoon of March 25, the man and two others with him yelled that they were there for a robbery, police said.

A tussle followed, one shot was fired and shortly after, Farley was dead, according to police who said there was no second computer brought to Farley’s door by the robbers.

The fatal robbery left friends and family mourning a man they remember as a loving father and ambitious entrepreneur as police continue to search for those involved.

Prince George’s County police released surveillance video showing a group of men suspected of fatally shooting Rawle Farley on March 25 during a robbery. (Video: Prince George’s County Police Dept.)

“Anything he did he put a lot of passion in it,” said Stacie Whisonant, who had known Farley for about a decade. “Everything was go big or go home.”

William George Moore Jr., 31, of Dundalk, Md., has been charged with first-degree murder in Farley’s slaying, but two other men police say were involved remain at large.

“This happened in the middle of the day in a crowded College Park apartment building,” said Christina Cotterman, a spokeswoman for Prince George’s County police. “These are the types of people we need to find.”

Man fatally shot in College Park/Beltsville area

Police said Farley, 36, and Moore had met at a bar through a third party and that Moore had previously sold Farley a computer at the apartment. That led to an arrangement for a second deal, police said, in which Farley asked Moore back for a second sale, police said.

Moore arrived under the pretense of selling the equipment, police charging documents state.

Prince George’s County police released surveillance video that shows Moore dressed in red walking through the apartment building’s entry gate talking on a phone, according to police charging documents. Then a man in a black top and black cap comes in behind, looking directly at the surveillance camera. The gate closes, and the man in black goes back and opens it for a third man.

Police said they suspect the two others who followed Moore were involved in Farley’s killing.

Capt. Tony Schartner, head of the Prince George’s police homicide unit, describes the robbery gone bad as senseless. “They were trying to take his things,” Schartner said. “It didn’t need to escalate to someone being shot.”

Maryland man arrested after fatal shooting in College Park last month

A second person was also injured during the robbery, police said.

Farley, born in Guyana, was the son of immigrants and came to the United States when he was 9. He started a local garage-door-installation business in 2012.

Farley’s family declined to be interviewed but provided the program and eulogies given at his funeral.

“He was a successful businessman that understood people, marketing and sales,” according to a speech by his brothers. “The pursuit to being the best at it kept him up late nights as he researched and optimized his processes.”

Farley graduated from Roosevelt High School. He had a 10-year-old son, whom his family said he cared for and adored.

In their statements at his funeral, his brothers said it was difficult to understand the events that led to Farley’s death, “but we trust that someway, somewhere and somehow, good and purpose will be revealed from this ordeal.”

Whisonant said Farley leaves a legacy in his entrepreneurial spirit. Farley helped Whisonant create a business called PYT, or Pay Your Tuition, to help students get private funds through loans or crowdsourcing to cover education costs. Farley’s belief in education inspired the launch of PYT, his longtime friend said. The business has helped more than 200 students in the Washington region graduate from college, Whisonant said.

Whisonant said friends and family remain shocked that Farley’s life ended so abruptly.

“His life was complete because he had his son,” Whisonant said. “The biggest part that hurts for everybody is that he wanted to be there for his son.”

Police are urging anyone with information about the men in the surveillance video to call authorities at 877-411-TIPS. A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information leading to an arrest.

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