iPhone X Murder: Teens Shoot Former Tesla Employee For Phone, Police Say

A 32-year-old man in California was shot and purportedly killed by two teens over his iPhone X, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office and local media.

The incident occurred on Nov. 18 during the afternoon in broad daylight at a gas station in San Leandro, officials said. The victim, Daniel Carlos, was selling his iPhone X through the app letgo and was meeting up with buyers at the location. During the meet up, Carlos was robbed and shot. Police said he died at the scene while the suspects fled the area in a vehicle.

“It is with great sorrow we report the homicide victim from Saturday, has been identified as Daniel Carlos, Age 32, a resident of Redwood City, CA,” the Alameda County Sheriff's Office said after the incident in a Facebook post. “Daniel was a husband and father to a young child. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends.”

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office arrested two 18-year-olds, Jordan Patton of San Francisco and Marcus Fortune of San Leandro, after the incident. The suspects have been charged with Carlos’ murder, officials said.

Fortune admitted to law enforcement officials that he was involved in the murder, according to local station CBS SF. The 18-year-old said the meeting with Carlos “was a planned take and go.” Patton is said to be an accomplice in the crime, but Fortune refused to identify him as a co-participant. However, Fortune did admit there was another person present during the shooting, adding that “things were not supposed to go down that way.”

Carlos, who is survived by his wife and 5-year-old daughter, used to work for Tesla. A relative made the arrangement to sell the iPhone X on the letgo app and was with him when the shooting occurred. The relative, who stayed in a car while Carlos waited outside nearby with the Apple device, was not injured during the incident.

The relative said he saw Carlos hand over the iPhone X to the suspects. Carlos ended up chasing after them and “was subsequently shot and killed by one of the suspects as they fled with the cellular phone,” officials wrote according to CBS SF. Witnesses nearby gave officials similar descriptions of the teens to police. Officials also got more evidence from a surveillance camera nearby.

Patton denied involvement in the shooting, but police found the iPhone X still in its box inside the Nissan he drove away with.

The alleged suspects stole the iPhone X shortly after it was initially released on Nov. 3. The device is the most expensive iPhone yet. The 32GB version of the iPhone X starts at $999, while the 256GB model is priced at $1,149. The iPhone X showcases Apple’s latest technology, including the Face ID, Animoji and an edge-to-edge OLED display screen.