Update (08/23/22):
According to multiple reports, Nike and Shoe Palace have been named in a lawsuit on behalf of the family of Jayren Bradford, the 26-year-old employee who was shot and killed when trying to deescalate an altercation at the Melrose location over a raffle.
“‘The Complaint alleges that both companies knew of and did nothing to stop the proliferation of “sneaker violence” over the years in neighborhoods all across America….Some of the most desirable, and thus dangerous, sneakers are made and marketed by Nike,'” writes Sneaker Legal.
Sneaker Legal adds that the lawsuit also alleges that Shoe Palace did not provide “any form of security” nor “training on how to deal with this type of violence,” according to the initial reports from The Source Journal and The Blast.
The original story from August 2021 can be read below.
Reports have just come in from ABC7 Los Angeles that 1 person was shot and killed at Shoe Palace in the Fairfax District.
Located on Melrose and North Genesee Avenues, the shooting happened at around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 11, 2021.
One person was shot and taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. LAPD later confirmed that the victim had died.
The victim is rumored to be a Shoe Palace employee that was trying to break up a fight at the store. However, this is an unconfirmed report and more information regarding this will be updated.
The suspect fled the scene in a Silver Toyota Camry and is believed to be a man in his 20s wearing dark clothing. Anyone with information on the case is urged to call 877-LAPD-247.
UPDATE: A new report from CBS Los Angeles confirms that a Shoe Palace employee was indeed the victim shot at the scene, and later died at the hospital.
Shoe Palace was hosting a raffle when a group of men showed up at the store and a fight broke out over a ticket. The Shoe Palace employee was trying to stop the situation from escalating when he was shot.
An eye-witness spoke to CBS and said, “I heard he was coming into work and he saw it happening and tried to deescalate it. They tried to surround him so he kind of just backed up like ‘Hey, I’ll fight you guys,’ and the guy pulled out a gun and shot him.”
Eric Tacam, a close friend of the Shoe Palace employee, also spoke to CBS and said, “It’s very heartbreaking because he just lived down the street, he walked to work. He was from Colorado. He moved out here last year and he was pursuing his career to become a musician. He was just a nice person, a great person. Every time I came in, my family came in, he always took care of us, he always looked out for us.”
LAPD said that the suspect is believed to be a Hispanic man in his 20s wearing dark clothing. The police have been receiving multiple descriptions of the vehicle that the suspect used to fled the scene. At this time they are working on getting a firm identification for the license plate and vehicle. As of now, it is believed to be a silver Toyota Camry with a temporary license plate number BC10D32.
Once again, anyone with more information on the case is urged to call 877-LAPD-247. We will continue to update this story as the case develops.
UPDATE (8/12): A new report from NBC LA reveals that a 16-year-old juvenile was arrested and is being held responsible for the shooting at Shoe Palace, that left 1 employee dead.
The Shoe Palace employee has been identified as 26-year-old Jayren Bradford, who tried to step in and stop a fight from occurring before he was shot.
LAPD arrested the juvenile on Thursday, August 12 at around 12:30 p.m. in the South Gate area of Los Angeles. The juvenile was arrested without incident and was booked for the murder of Bradford.
LAPD confirms that there are no outstanding suspects in relation to this incident.
The department also stated that the investigation and arrest was rapidly completed thanks to extensive video that was recovered and the numerous tips that came in from the community on this case.
A broadcast from NBC LA also reports that this incident comes after an uptick in crime around the Melrose area, including a failed armed robbery that happened behind Brooklyn Projects just last month.
We will continue to update this story as the case develops.
UPDATE (8/13): Shoe Palace issued a statement via Twitter, regarding the death of former-employee Jayren Bradford. The company is asking that people respect Bradford’s family and friends at this time. Read the full statement below.
