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Sneaker Con is the self proclaimed "premiere for sneaker connoisseurs to buy, sell and trade some of the most sought after footwear on the market." The event tours the United States allowing sneakerheads to discover, buy, sell, and trade the latest sneakers.
While Sneaker Con events are normally peaceful, local Salt Lake City PD has confirmed that an altercation resulted in a fatal shooting. According to Sneaker Con's official statement, the altercation actually originated outside of the event as a result of a rigged game of three-shell Monte. The assailants shot and fatally wounded the victim who later died while in critical condition at a nearby hospital.
Suspect and Victim Identified
On Sunday, September 4th, Police arrested 22-year-old Deng Buk in connection to the fatal shooting from Saturday. He has been charged with murder and aggravated robbery, however he is not believed to be the shooter. There remain to be other suspects involved that are still being investigated. Detectives are continuing to ask anyone with information to call 801-799-3000.
The victim has been identified as 41-year-old Deliford Knight, who traveled from Florida to Salt Lake City to attend the convention. According to police, Knight and his friends are frequent goers to these these types of events and had previously participated in similar gambling practices to defraud others as they are alleged to have taken part in this past weekend. Salt Lake City Police reports that one of the suspects allegedly lost money to Knight via the supposed card game. Things then unfolded into a fight with Knight as they exited the convention center. Police say that things then escalated and someone with Buk pulled a gun and shot Knight, at which point Buk and other suspects allegedly robbed Knight and fled the area.
In a statement emailed to The Salt Lake Tribune, Sneaker Con founder Yu-Ming Wu said that he was told Knight was part of a group running a three-shell monte game outside of the convention center. Wu also told the Tribune that "the altercation was not affiliated with our Sneaker Con event...nor did the suspected three-shell monte orchestrators attend our event."
Stay tuned for updates as they unfold!
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