Teenager killed after tracking down lost phone

Jeremy Cook.
Jeremy Cook.
Image: London Police

A teenager has been shot dead in Canada after using technology to track his phone.

18-year-old Jeremy Cook left his phone in a taxi over the weekend in London, Ontario, and used tracking technology to locate his phone, according to CBC News.

Once it was located, Cook decided to visit the address with a relative to the property to retrieve the device, but instead was greeted by three men in car. Police told CBC News that when the vehicle drove off, Cook grabbed onto the driver's door and shots were fired.

The car — a Mazsa sedan — was later found by police abandoned, after it had hit a fence and a telegraph pole. Three men are believed to be involved in the attack, which is the first of its kind in Canada, but have not been identified.

The case has puzzled authorities, as Cook was not known to police and did not know his attackers. London Police Constable Ken Steeves warned people to contact police if there is a risk of harm when obtaining a smartphone using technology, according to CBC News.

"The app itself is a great tool to have. Nobody could ever predict that what occurred was going to occur in that case," Steeves said. "But if you suspect there's any potential for violence at all, we certainly encourage people to contact police."

Steeves also made it clear the technology was not to blame for the death of Cook. "It wasn't the app that took away Jeremy's life, it was the individuals, which would be rare, who happened to be armed with a gun," he added.

Although a crime of this nature is rare, mobile phone tracking devices have been linked to murders in the past. In 2012, a North Carolina man was charged with murdering his ex-wife's new boyfriend after tracking him using GPS technology, while a London man killed the the thief of his son's phone after locating him through tracking.