Source: Gary Coronado / Getty
Sneakerbots, resellers, and even sneaker apps have ruined the sneaker game something seriously. But now its gotten to the point where trying to win a pair of coveted sneakers (that would’ve probably been a general in-store release pre-pandemic) is leading to violence out in these streets.
The latest incident actually cost someone their life as KTLA5 is reporting that an employee at famous sneaker boutique Shoe Palace was shot and killed over a sneaker raffle in the store this past Wednesday (August 11). According to the report a group of men and a woman began arguing in front of the store on Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax district over a sneaker raffle. When store employee Jayren Bradford went out to intervene, he was shot and killed.
Bradford was only 26-years-old.
“Jay came from his car and he confronted them saying, ‘What’s the problem? What’s the deal?’ Then everybody shifted their aggression towards Jay,” said Keyshawn Williams, a colleague of Bradford’s at the store. “And they were here with other friends, so they all surrounded him and that’s when he was shot.”
All over sneakers. SMH.
Police soon arrived on the scene and though paramedics were able to get him to the hospital it was too late. Jayren Bradford was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Unfortunately the harder it gets to cop sneakers the more you can expect these kinds of incidents to take place. With reselling a goldmine at times and kicks going for three to five times their retail price with limited quantity to be had, things will continue to get ugly out in these streets.
Police still have no suspects though they describe the person of interest as a “Latino man in his early 20s with short hair. They say he was last seen getting into a sedan, possibly a Toyota Camry.”
A quick reminder that sneakers are never ever worth taking someone’s life or risking your freedom over. Ever… ever!
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