Five people have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of New York rapper Pop Smoke during a home invasion earlier this year in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department announced Thursday.
The 20-year-old rapper, whose real name was Bashar Jackson, was killed on Feb. 19.
The LAPD released a statement Thursday morning on Twitter, saying detectives arrested three adult males and two juvenile males in connection with the killing. No additional information was released on a possible motive or the names of the suspects. The police department said it would “provide further details as they become available.”
The up-and-coming rapper was fatally shot during what appeared to be a home invasion robbery while he was staying in a rental property in a wealthy neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills.
Citing police sources, the Los Angeles Times reported detectives believe the shooting may have been gang-related and the rapper could have been targeted.
The house where the shooting occurred was owned by The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp. Police received a 911 call and arrived on the scene within six minutes. Inside the house, they discovered a male victim with gunshot wounds.
Pop Smoke was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later. Since February, the murder investigation has faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a lack of credible witnesses.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Pop Smoke’s star began to rise with the release of his 2019 single “Welcome to the Party.” His second mixtape, Meet the Woo 2, was released on Feb. 7, 2020, just days before the rapper was killed. The music project debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, becoming the rapper’s first top-10 hit on the all-important chart.
His posthumous album, Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon, was just released last Friday, and was executive produced by 50 Cent.
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