Police authorities are on the lookout for a suspect in the fatal shooting of Nipsey Hussle.
The Grammy-nominated rapper, born Ermias Asghedom, was shot Sunday outside Marathon Clothing, the store he owned on Los Angeles’ Slauson Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, a public information officer said. He was 33.
Although police would not confirm if Hussle was the victim who was fatally shot at a news briefing, the Los Angeles Police Department did tweet that they were looking for a Black male suspect in the shooting where two other men were also seriously injured.
“The suspect in the shooting is described as a male black & LAPD South Bureau Homicide is conducting an investigation to locate him and anyone else involved. You can expect the area of Slauson & Crenshaw to be impacted by streets closures & heavy traffic for several hours.”
The Los Angeles Times reports that the Victory Lap rapper “was shot by a young man who opened fire at close range and then ran to a waiting getaway car. Based on initial information, the shooter is probably associated with a gang, the source said.”
Hussle, who is being remembered for his efforts to give back to his community in an outpouring of support and outrage from the Black community, was set to meet with L.A. Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff and LAPD Chief Michel Moore on Monday to discuss the gang violence in his community.
“We (@LAPDChiefMoore and I ) were meeting , at the request of @NipseyHussle with him and @rocnation tomorrow at 4pm to talk about ways he could help stop gang violence and help us help kids,” Soboroff said in a tweet on Sunday night. “I’m so very sad.”
Moore also tweeted that Hussle’s killing was part of a “troubling surge” in violence in
Hussle leaves behind a child with girlfriend Lauren London, as well as two other children from previous relationships.