Teenager shot dead in Detroit vacant lot because of his shoes, family says

DETROIT – A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed last week while walking home from school in Detroit, and his family says it could have been caused by a pair of shoes.

Elijah Reece, 16, was shot three times on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 22. Reece was with a group of teenagers, which included some of his classmates from East English Village Preparatory Academy at Finney High School.

That Wednesday afternoon, Reece was with the group of teens near a vacant lot off I-94 Service Drive near King Richard Street. Neighbors said there seemed to be no friction within the group until suddenly they heard raised voices and then gunshots.

Neighbors, who did not want to be filmed, told Local 4 the group of teens don't usually hang out in that neighborhood.

Reece's family said the boy was likely targeted because of a pair of shoes. His mother, Jamie Reece, said she bought her son a $1,200 pair of shoes from the late designer Alexander McQueen.

“Insane,” Jamie Reece said at a May 27 vigil for his son. “You all killed my baby for nothing.”

Detroit police were still investigating the shooting that killed the 16-year-old boy, known as a good and popular kid. Authorities had arrested several teenagers for questioning after the shooting.

No arrests had been made as of Tuesday this week. Neighbors told Local 4 they saw a shooter and a gun, although that information has not yet been confirmed by police.

Watch Shawn Ley's latest report below.