Teen fatally shot after using cellphone tracker to locate stolen phone

LONDON, Ontario -- Police say a teen was gunned down in London, Ontario, Canada, while trying to track down his lost cellphone, the CBC reports.

Investigators say 18-year-old Jeremy Cook left his cellphone in a cab over the weekend. They say he then used an app to track the phone down to a parking lot and a car with three men inside Sunday around 5:15 a.m.

Police say the men refused to give the phone back and a confrontation ensued. Cook was shot and died at the scene.

Police called the killing "tragic" and said they don't see cases like this often.

"This is a unique case. We haven't had anything like this in the past. So, I mean it's not a new application. I mean, I bet it's been used several times with no issues," Cst. Ken Steeves of the London Police Service said.

The suspects got away. Police are now trying to identify them.

The homicide is unusual for the town because the killers did not know their victim, and the victim had no prior arrests, according to police.

Police are warning anyone who uses an app to track a lost or stolen phone to use caution when entering what might be a dangerous situation.

"But if you suspect there's any potential for violence at all, we certainly encourage people to contact police," Steeves said. "We'd be more than happy to come out and investigate with the hopes of retrieving the phone."