Ohio Teen Shot Dead After He Tries To Steal Another Man’s Shoes

An Ohio teen is dead after he attempted to rob another man of a pair of expensive shoes, the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting.

16-year-old Jawaad Jabbar was fatally shot by the man he and two accomplices were trying to rob. Jabbar and two accomplices walked up to a group of two men outside the Dayton mall and demanded that the men hand over the Nike Air Jordan shows they had just purchased. At least one of the teens — it is unclear, as of this post, if it was Jabbar — flashed a gun. The would-be victim, a concealed weapon permit-holder, pulled out his own gun and shot at the teens.

Police Chief Ronald Hess said, via Yahoo News, that the popular Nike Air Jordan shoes — which can cost upwards of $200 — have been the source of tense lines and angry confrontations by shoppers clamoring to get the limited-release shoes. Retailers at the Dayton Mall had set up protocols to avoid such lines, but Hess says the Jabbar and his accomplices had apparently missed out on the shoes, so they chose to steal them from another group of shoppers.

“They did have the boxes from the stores that were having the limited-edition sales.”

Jabbar’s accomplices were caught and are currently in juvenile detention. As for the man who fired the fatal shot that killed the Ohio teen, as of this post he has not been charged with any crimes.

“We’ll review the whole case with the county prosecutor, and if they determine he violated some law, then yes (he could be charged).”

In Ohio, a person can use deadly force to defend their self only “if you [can’t] safely avoid the risk of harm or death (by running away, for example),” according to Findlaw.com. Police will be reviewing surveillance footage from the mall where the shooting took place to see if any laws were violated; police declined to put a time frame on how long that investigation might take.

The popular Nike Air Jordan shoes have led to violence in places besides Ohio. Earlier this year, according to this Inquisitr report, a boy was beaten to the point that he required intensive care after refusing to give his Air Jordan shoes to a classmate who demanded them.

A Nike spokesperson issued a statement calling on fans of the shoes to seek its products in a “safe and respectful” way.

“Consumer safety is of paramount important to us. We continue to work with our retail partners to share best practices and refine our launch process to improve the buying experience for our consumers.”

Do you believe the Ohio man who shot and killed would-be shoe thief Jamal Jabbar was justified in shooting him? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image courtesy of: the Cleveland Plain Dealer]