Inset: Cayden Alston-Arnold (GoFundMe). Background: Cops investigate the 15-year-old Cayden”s shooting death in Raleigh, North Carolina (WTVD).
A tragic incident unfolded in North Carolina when a teenager allegedly shot and killed another teen over a disagreement involving a pair of Ksubi jeans. The suspect wanted the jeans but was unwilling to pay for them.
The victim, 15-year-old Cayden Alston-Arnold, was fatally shot just before noon on Friday at a residence in Raleigh, situated on Springshire Court. Authorities have detained a teenager in connection with the shooting, though they have not disclosed the suspect’s name, due to his age, nor have they specified the charges he might face.
Cayden’s father, Courtney Alston, shared details with local news outlets, ABC affiliate WTVD and NBC affiliate WRAL, recounting how the suspect and another teen visited his home with the intention of purchasing his son’s jeans.
Alston, who was not present at the time of the incident, later reviewed footage from the home’s Ring camera, which recorded events prior to the shooting.
“I noticed from their behavior, they seemed quite determined to get inside the house. They were wandering around, asking which window belonged to him,” Alston explained to WTVD.
Ultimately, when the teens refused to pay for the jeans, Cayden declined to hand them over, leading one of the boys to allegedly shoot him. Initially, there was hope that Cayden might recover from his injuries.
“My sister called me and told me that Cayden had been shot. She was like, she thinks he’s OK because he told her, ‘Auntie, I’m going to be good, I’m good,’” Alston told WRAL.
He was even able to move around.
“Cayden was in here running around … trying to clean up his own blood. From the bathroom, the closet door, the kitchen. Everywhere,” Alston said in his interview with WTVD.
But by the time Alston made it home, his son had collapsed. He was rushed to the hospital where he died.
Alston started a GoFundMe to pay for funeral costs.
“On March 20, 2026 he was murdered in his home by so-called friends. His life was cut short behind some Ksubi jeans and envy,” he wrote.
Prosecutors have filed a petition for criminal charges against the suspect, but police have not released any other information.
