A Shoe Palace employee was shot and killed on Wednesday, Aug. 11, by a customer over a raffle dispute outside the store's Melrose Place location in Los Angeles in an incident that was captured on camera.
The employee was later identified as 26-year-old Jayren Bradford, who was found by officers with a gunshot wound and immediately rushed to Cedars Sinai hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Bradford Fatally Shot After Breaking Up Dispute over Sneaker Raffle
According to homicide detectives, the shooting took place at around 12:30 p.m. after Bradford attempted to break up an argument between store employees and a group of people over a raffle that the store was holding for a pair of sneakers. A sign in the store window indicated the raffle was for a pair of Nike Dunk Low sneakers in Black Multi Camo color scheme.
Bradford was just arriving to work when he noticed a group of people arguing outside store and intervened. Eyewitnesses said Bradford appeared to be trying to de-escalate the situation and was backing away when he was shot.
"Jay[ren] came from his car and he confronted them saying, 'What's the problem? What's the deal?,'" Bradford's co-worker Keyshawn Williams told KTLA5. "Then everybody shifted their aggression towards Jay. And they were here with other friends, so they all surrounded him and that's when he was shot."
According to KTLA5, Bradford lived close to the Shoe Palace store and had just started working there within the last few months. The outlet says he had ambitions of becoming a musician.
Video Footage
Video footage captured from two different angles shows Bradford being swarmed by a group of people before one of them pulls out a gun and fires a single shot, striking Bradford. The crowd immediately dispersed and the suspect fled from the scene. Watch the videos below:
WARNING: The videos are graphic in nature. Viewer discretion is advised.
Suspect, 16, Arrested, Booked for Murder
In an attempt to track down the suspect, police had described the suspect as a Latino man with short hair in his early 20s and noted that he was seen fleeing the scene of the crime in a sedan, possible a Toyota Camry. Images of the suspect were also circulated on social media.
NBC Los Angeles has now confirmed that the suspect, a 16-year-old juvenile, has been arrested and booked for murder. Police said that the teenager was apprehended thanks to the video footage and the numerous tips that came in from the community on this case. The suspect's identity has not yet been released.
