Man killed in front of kids after argument over missing shoes, prosecutors say

CHARLOTTE — Prosecutors say a shooting that took the life of a man right in front of his children started as an argument over missing shoes.

Investigators said Anthony Kareem Smith, who went by Kareem, was shot on Feb. 11 outside a south Charlotte bowling alley. It’s called Bowlero and is located on South Boulevard near Woodlawn Road.

Channel 9′s Hunter Sáenz spoke with the family of the father of two. They said Smith was at a birthday party at Bowlero the night of the shooting.

“A very loving person,” said his father, Reggie Smith.

He’s still heartbroken by the loss of his son.

“He loved his kids, you know what I’m saying? He’d go out of the way for them,” he said.

After the party, police said Kareem was shot and killed in the parking lot. The building was clearly hit by stray bullets; a Channel 9 crew could see shattered glass around it.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department arrested 21-year-old Miguel Paredes on Tuesday. He faced a judge on Wednesday, who said he was a danger to the public and ordered him to be held without bond.

In court, prosecutors said it all started as a fist-fight over a missing pair of shoes. They said Smith fought with another man and, as he was walking away, gunfire erupted.

Prosecutors said Paredes fired multiple times, killing Smith.

“For guns to come out of a fist-fight, it’s just not right. It’s just not right,” his father told Sáenz.

“I just don’t understand, why would a pair of shoes cost my son his life?” Smith asked.

Kareem’s family is trying to move forward. His father said they plan to work with grief counselors.

The Gastonia native was laid to rest on Saturday.

(WATCH BELOW: 1 shot, killed in University City)

1 shot, killed in University City

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