Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz
Jayren Bradford, 26, was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon in front of the Shoe Palace located in Los Angeles’ Fairfax District. Reports say that Bradford had not yet started his shift but was on his way into the store when he noticed a disturbance brewing and tried to calm the situation. A group of men and women had begun arguing about a raffle being held at the store, and a cellphone video shows a crowd surrounding Bradford before gunfire broke out.
Keyshawn Williams, one of Bradford’s coworkers, gave his account of the events to KTLA. “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,” he said. “And they were here with other friends, so they all surrounded him and that’s when he was shot.”
Bradford moved from Colorado to Los Angeles last year to pursue his dreams of becoming a musician, and he had been working at Shoe Palace for only a few months before losing his life in front of the popular sneaker store. Melrose Avenue has since been blocked off, and a memorial was set up outside of Shoe Palace, where people have been coming to grieve Bradford.
Eric Tacam, one of Bradford’s friends, shared his sentiments about the event with KCAL. “It’s very heartbreaking because [Jayren] just lived down the street, he walked to work… 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.”
Police said they will review cameras in the area to gather more details and locate the suspect. The key person of interest was described as a Hispanic man in his 20s and who was wearing dark clothes. The suspect also reportedly fled the scene in a silver Toyota Camry bearing a temporary license plate, BC10D32, and headed north on Genesse Avenue. Anyone with information on this case is asked to call 877-LAPD-247.
