Communities on both sides of the Hudson are mourning a popular sneaker reseller who was shot to death in SoHo by someone police say followed him from a club and tried to rob him, while the search continues Wednesday for his killer.
Javier Osorio-Mejia, an established high-end sneaker reseller in Bayonne known as Upscale Cracc, had been with a woman at the Queens club early Tuesday.
Police believed they were followed when they left, and jumped on Greene Street in SoHo around 5:15 a.m. Authorities initially said Osorio-Mejia was attacked by a group. It's not clear how many people they're looking for in the case.
Osorio-Mejia was shot three times in the right leg and died. The killer took off in a black SUV with an unknown plate. It's not clear if anything was stolen. The victim had been driving a Range Rover.
Chopper 4 showed a still active scene hours after the shooting, with yellow caution tape cordoning off a cobblestone section of street as two NYPD officers stand watch.
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Evidence markers for bullet casings could be seen on both sides of the street, placed near a white SUV with New Jersey license plates, its connection to the shooting unclear. Green tennis shoes were spotted on the sidewalk.
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No arrests have been made. An NYPD homicide investigation is ongoing.
Upscale spoke with NBC New York's Ashley Chaparro in 2023 about his life and career.
Many tributes were posted to social media remembering Upscale Cracc.
Complex Sneakers posted, "Rest in peace to Upscale Cracc, born Javier Osorio-Mejia, a reseller who was a mainstay at sneaker releases in New York City for years. If there was a lineup happening, Cracc was there."
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
