Nipsey Hussle’s fatal shooting was caught on surveillance video, which may now be used to help the LAPD identify the shooter.
The rapper was killed on Sunday outside a store he owns in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood. As TMZ reported, a surveillance camera from a nearby business was aimed at the parking lot where the shooting took place, and shows the chaotic moment when someone opened fire on the rapper, and a group of people were sent running away, with at least three of them injured.
The video showed a person wearing a red shirt walking toward the group of people who had just left the Marathon Clothing store. It was not clear if that person was the shooter, but the video showed the group running as shots rang out, with one person falling to the ground. The person in the red shirt was not among those who ran away, TMZ noted.
Police have released few details in the shooting, but a report Monday from the Los Angeles Times said that the motive was likely personal rather than a random robbery. Law enforcement sources said they believe the shooter was involved in a local gang, but the shooting itself was not gang-related.
“Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times they believed the killer was someone in the rap star’s orbit,” the report noted. “Detectives believe the gunman has gang ties but that the motive is likely personal in nature rather than a larger gang feud. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the case publicly.”
Some believe that Nipsey Hussle may have known that he was being targeted. Just hours before his death, the rapper took to Twitter to post a cryptic tweet that read, “Having strong enemies is a blessing.”
Nipsey Hussle was one of 26 people shot across L.A. in ‘troubling surge’ over last week https://t.co/wwNBCBi8Sl
— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) April 1, 2019
Nipsey Hussle was known for the work he did in the community, leading a number of charitable endeavors and investing back in his neighborhood with his business. He was killed just a day before he was scheduled to meet with LAPD Chief Michael Moore and Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff to discuss ways to stop gang violence and how youth in the area could avoid becoming involved in violence or victims to it.
Video of Nipsey Hussle’s shooting death can be seen at TMZ . Though it does not show any blood or graphic images, it may still be difficult for some viewers.
