LOS ANGELES – At least two people were critically injured and ten others hurt after hundreds of fans stampeded during a vigil for slain rapper Nipsey Hussle in Los Angeles late Monday, officials and media reports said.
Gunfire was reported in a crowd outside Hussle’s clothing store, Marathon Clothing, in south Los Angeles, where he was shot and killed on Sunday, police and media reports said. But Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said on Twitter: “Reports of shots fired at the vigil do not appear accurate.”
The Los Angeles Times said several people were stabbed after a fight broke out at the vigil and two people were in a critical condition. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
A local ABC news station reported on Twitter: “A HUGE stampede of people rushed out of the @NipseyHussle memorial area. People thought they heard something break or a loud noise and started running.”
No one from the police was immediately available early Tuesday to elaborate on what happened.
Hussle, 33, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, was shot multiple times Sunday afternoon and rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Two other people were wounded in the shooting, police said.
Early Tuesday, police named Eric Holder, 29, of Los Angeles as a suspect in the shooting and said he had fled the scene Sunday in a Chevy Cruze driven by an unidentified woman. No motive has been disclosed by police.
Hussle grew up in south Los Angeles and often talked about being in a street gang during his teenage years. He had since become a community organiser, according to media reports.
His debut studio album, Victory Lap was nominated for Best Rap Album at this year’s Grammy Awards. (Reuters)
