Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle was killed and two other people were wounded in a shooting outside the artist’s store in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Officers responded to reports of a shooting at a clothing store in the 3400 block of West Slauson Avenue at around 3:25 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Chris Ramirez said.
The 33-year-old rapper was shot multiple times and transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing unidentified law enforcement sources.
Two additional male victims were also transported to a hospital and were in stable condition, police said.
Detectives were seeking a lone suspect in connection with the shooting, Ramirez said. A detailed description was not available. Investigators continued scouring the scene for evidence, interviewing witnesses and looking for surveillance camera footage on Sunday afternoon.
The recording artist was reportedly associated with the clothing store where the shooting took place.
The rapper, who was born Ermias Asghedom, was a Los Angeles native whose debut studio album “Victory Lap” was nominated for a Grammy in 2019.
Before his nomination, the artist released several mixtapes starting in the mid-2000s, including his well-known mixtape “Crenshaw.”
The artist was tied to Epic Records during the end of the 2000s, but had recently partnered with Atlantic Records for the release of “Victory Lap,” which reached Number Four on the Billboard 200, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
A man at the scene of shooting who said he grew up with the rapper, said the incident came as a shock, and that he didn’t know who would want to hurt him.
“He was always doing good in the hood even before he made it in the music business,” the man said. “For him to be gunned down like this right now was just messed up.”
In a 2018 interview with the Los Angeles Times, the rapper said he grew up in “gang culture.”
“We dealt with death, with murder. It was like living in a war zone, where people die on these blocks and everybody is a little bit immune to it,” Nipsey Hussle told the Times.
Just before the shooting at 2:52 p.m., the rapper tweeted, “having strong enemies is a blessing.”
At the scene of the shooting, police were seen closing off the area as crowds gathered behind the yellow police tape, watching on as officers investigated the area.
Reports of gunfire at the scene shortly before 10 p.m. prompted those gathered to run for cover. There were no reports of injuries.
A host of music industry figures paid tribute to Nipsey Hussle on social media.
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti took to Twitter Sunday to express his condolences to the rapper’s family.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said the artist was “a father, a businessman, an entertainer, and an inspiration to many.”
“As South Los Angeles’ representative on the Board of Supervisors, I urge calm and a period of reflection. Violent retaliation for this event will not be tolerated. Our communities have lost too many young men and bright futures to the scourge of gun violence,” he said in a written statement. “For healing to occur, even from this terrible incident, justice must be sought through legal means, and community peace must be found.”
“I am in contact with law enforcement officials who will provide all the necessary assistance, and I ask members of the public to come forward with any information related to this incident or any emerging retaliatory response,” Ridley-Thomas said.