The shooting reportedly happened at around 5:30 a.m. outside of a store in Wilmington, where the sneakers were being sold. The two men were later treated at a local hospital.
The sneaker had been much hyped for over a month, as the Air Jordan 5 retro "Bel Air" pays tribute to Will Smith for his crazy outfits and rocking Jordan sneakers in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The shoe was a lot more limited than what people had thought, which led to the craziness over the release Saturday morning. The sneaker retailed for $185.
A line of over 30 people were waiting to get their pairs. Since the violence that has occurred in the past over campouts for sneakers, retailers nationwide have implemented a "raffle" to prevent things such as shootings.
It was odd to see why there would still be a shooting, since the people getting their sneakers was already set in stone. This is why several say the shooting had nothing to do with the release of the Air Jordan sneaker.
“They gave out all the tickets for the men’s shoes last week,” said one man. “This had nothing to do with that. I was here. It just gives the place a bad name. They were nearby, but it had nothing to do with this.”
Mecca Griffith, who was with her eight-year-old son at the next-door shop, said: “We don’t worry about things like sneakers – they’re not worth that. They’re not that important.” Another person, who was waiting in line since 5 a.m., was asked why he camped out this early in the morning for a sneaker. He replied, “Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan.”
What do you think of this news? Should retailers do more than just raffles to prevent this violence over a pair of sneakers? If so, what? Because obviously, this is not enough — not enough at all.
This article was written by Josh Dhani. Follow him on Twitter here and read more of his work here.
