Two Men were found guilty on Monday, October 4th, of first-degree murder in the killing of special needs teen Tavin Price, who was shot in South Los Angeles for the color of his shoes. The murderers Kanasho Johns, 29, and Kevin Deon, 26, were claimed to be two neighborhood Crips members by the prosecutor of the case.

On June 1st of 2015, at about 11 a.m., Price and his mother, Jennifer Rivers, were at a car wash at the corner of Florence Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. Price entered a store nearby where both of the attackers asked the teen to remove his shoes. However, Price did not listen and headed back to the car to tell his mother about the encounter.

The men then followed Price to the car wash and shot him from behind, knocking the teen to the ground. Rivers tried to catch the shooter but was not fast enough.

Another man named Dwight Smith confessed to being involved in the murder of Tavin Price in late August.

It was later established that the color of Prices’ shoes, red, offended Johns and Deon. Making the murderers think Price was involved in a gang. His mother made it very clear that Tavin Price had the mental capacity of a 12-year-old and had never been associated or involved with a gang in his life.

“Thinking a person is in a gang does not give you an excuse to kill them. And wearing a specific color does not at automatically make you associated with a gang,” states WHHS student Monica Borsella.

Kevin Deon and Kanasho Johns will be facing 50 years in prison starting November 30th. Dwight Smith is facing 12 years and will be admitted this week .