Flowers and candles were placed outside the Shoe Palace store in August 2021 after the murder of Jayren Bradford. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Two-and-a-half years after a 16-year-old juvenile shot and killed an employee of the Shoe Palace store on Melrose Avenue and was convicted of murder, the victim’s family and community members are worried the prisoner may soon be placed in a halfway house, a step toward being released from custody.

The Aug. 11, 2021, murder shocked the community. The victim, 26-year-old Jayren Bradford, had just arrived at work and saw an altercation occurring in front of the store. A raffle had ended and a commotion occurred, said the victim’s mother, Jessica Bradford. When Jayren Bradford attempted to intervene, one of the people in the group pulled out a handgun and shot him. Bradford was taken to a hospital, where he died.

The juvenile suspect fled and was arrested the following day in South Gate. He has been in custody ever since. Authorities have never released the suspect’s name due to his age at the time of the crime. Jessica Bradford identified him as Nathan Flores, who is now 18.

Jayren Bradford grew up near Denver and moved to Los Angeles in 2018 to pursue a career in the music industry, his mother said. He lived in the Fairfax District and started working at Shoe Palace, 7725 Melrose Ave., in 2019, she added.

“He always loved sneakers, and it was a job to get him through school,” Bradford said.

She added that she was not surprised to hear that he intervened when he saw the altercation occurring in front of Shoe Palace.

“He was that type of person. He always wanted to help. He just wanted to make sure everything was OK,” Bradford said.

The suspect in the shooting was prosecuted in juvenile court in February 2022 and pleaded guilty to murder, Bradford said. He was sentenced to seven years in custody, the maximum sentence allowed for a juvenile under the law.

Every six months, a judge holds a hearing to review the case. Bradford said she frequently flies to L.A. from Colorado and has attended almost every hearing, thanks to help from organizations supporting victims’ families.

Bradford said Judge Miguel Espinoza, who is overseeing the case, held a hearing on April 24 and indicated the defendant may be sent to a halfway house, if a location is identified. The judge scheduled another hearing on May 6 in East Los Angeles Juvenile Court to revisit the matter, Bradford said.

“It’s so crushing. It’s absolutely devastating,” Bradford added. “I have sat down with the mothers I met and I had finally come to grips that one day he he’s going to get out. But it’s too early. I couldn’t believe it might be happening this soon.”

The Los Angeles County District Attorney Office said more information on the status of the case would be released when it becomes available.

Melrose Action, an advocacy organization that focuses on safety, is raising awareness about the case. Co-founder Peter Nichols said he is outraged by the situation.

“The majority of people in the community don’t understand much about the juvenile justice system and the way it is. They gave him seven years, which is the maximum allowed under the law. This guy was going to get out no matter what,” Nichols said. “But it was a punch in the gut that he may be released to a halfway house. The judge continued to mull it over, and we sent letters in to demand he remain in custody. This wasn’t an accident, he shot someone in cold blood. What type of message is the judge sending?”

Bradford is suing Shoe Palace in a civil court case that is pending. She also sued Nike, but the suit was later dismissed.

Bradford said she suffered a heart attack after her son’s murder that left her disabled.

She is working with victims advocacy groups and plans to continue fighting to keep her son’s killer in custody, but she doesn’t plan to attend the May 6 hearing.

“That one, I decided I am not going to come to. I’m on disability because of a lot of medical issues, and I don’t know if I can be there,” she said. “We’re hoping the judge keeps him in custody.”

Community members stopped by the Shoe Palace store on Melrose Avenue to pay tribute to Jayren Bradford. (photo by Edwin Folven)