Teen Killed Over Air Jordans Christmas Present, Mother Says

A teenager from Washington, D.C., was killed Monday over a pair of Nike Air Jordans he received as an early Christmas present, the boy's mother said. He made use of the bright red sneakers, which were valued at $220, for four days.

James Smith, 17, died after he was shot on a basketball court at the Frederick Douglass Community Center. The unidentified gunman fled the scene with James' Air Jordans in hand. James' mother, Benita Smith, suspected that her son was killed for his pricey sneaker.

"He was an all-American kid," his mother said Tuesday to the Washington Post. "He loved his red shoes. He loved basketball. He loved his computer games...I can't believe he was killed, all over a pair of shoes."

James was found on a street a block away from the scene shoeless. He was transported to a local hospital but died less than two hours after his arrival. Paul Trantham, an advisory neighborhood commissioner who works with a nearby district, claimed that the teenager was shot "as he was running," according to a Monday report from Washington Post. James ran for a block after being shot before collapsing.

"I still haven't taken it in yet," his mother told WRC-TV. "I still don't believe it. It's untrue. It's unreal to me."

James was in his sophomore year at Ballou High School. He enjoyed participating in Spanish class and was working towards improving his grades, his mother said. His mother gave him the sneakers ahead of Christmas Day because he was well-behaved.

No arrests had yet been made in connection with James' death. The motive for James' death had also not been officially determined at this time.

If his mother is correct, James isn't the only person to die over Air Jordans. A New York man allegedly shot a man to death at a barbeque in 2016 over Air Jordans. More recently, a man from Michigan was charged in June with shooting a 17-year-old boy who was trying to sell his Air Jordan sneakers.

Approximately 1,200 people die annually over sneakers, according to data unveiled by GQ. One of the factors attributed to sneaker-related violence is the marketing tactics used to spark excitement over such products, which many have criticized former basketballer Michael Jordan and Nike — the distributor of Air Jordans — of encouraging frenzied behavior or sneakers.