Man charged with murder in PlayStation shooting

A man was shot multiple times Sunday near Bayshore Boulevard and Jerrold Avenue where he and the supposed buyer had agreed to meet to exchange a Playstation 4. A man was shot multiple times Sunday near Bayshore Boulevard and Jerrold Avenue where he and the supposed buyer had agreed to meet to exchange a Playstation 4. Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Man charged with murder in PlayStation shooting 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Responding to an online ad for a brand-new Sony PlayStation 4 video game system, a young gunman lured the would-be sellers to a San Francisco park and then shot and killed one of them at close range before fleeing without the goods, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The alleged shooter, 21-year-old Ronnie Collins, was easy to track down, prosecutors said, because he used his real name and photo to contact the sellers through Instagram.

The account emerged as prosecutors charged Collins with one count of murder and two counts of attempted robbery in connection with Sunday's slaying of 22-year-old Ikenna Uwakah of Daly City. Uwakah had been trying to help his girlfriend sell the PlayStation.

Collins made a brief court appearance Wednesday, but did not enter a plea during a hearing marked by Assistant District Attorney Scot Clark calling the defendant a "Christmastime predator." Judge Rochelle East set $5 million bail for Collins, who must return Monday.

Collins' public defender, Mark Jacobs, said the defense would "vigorously oppose the charges." Referring to the prosecutor's statements, he said, "We don't need name-calling and people being demonized before they have a chance to sit before a jury."

Prosecutors said it was Uwakah's girlfriend who advertised the PlayStation and made contact with Collins before seeking her boyfriend's help. Demand has been intense in recent weeks for two new game consoles, the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One.

According to prosecutors, Collins said he didn't have a car to pick up the PlayStation and set up a meeting at Youngblood Coleman Playground in the Bayview.

The couple expressed reservations about meeting Collins at the relatively out-of-the-way spot, Clark said, but reluctantly agreed.

After Uwakah drove up at 3:30 p.m. with his girlfriend in the passenger seat, Collins asked to see the console through the couple's partially rolled-down window, the prosecutor said. The car was still running.

"He reached in as if he was going to get money from his coat and pulled out a gun," Clark said.

Uwakah gently pushed the gun away and offered to give Collins the PlayStation, Clark said, but Collins fired four rounds, hitting Uwakah twice in the arms and twice in the stomach.

The victim hit the gas pedal and drove away, wounded, Clark said. At some point, his girlfriend called 911 and took over driving, but a dispatcher told her to pull over and meet paramedics. Uwakah was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died.

At a news conference Wednesday, District Attorney George Gascón warned of the danger of setting up transactions with strangers online.

"It's truly disturbing that this defendant took another man's life over a PlayStation 4 video game console," Gascón said. "If you are buying or selling anything online, please use caution."