New details have emerged surrounding the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of Nipsey Hussle on March 31.
The Grammy-nominated rapper was standing outside his Marathon Clothing store in South Los Angeles signing autographs and talking to friends, when he was approached by Eric Holder, according to an unsealed grand jury transcript obtained Thursday by the Los Angeles Times. The two men had a four-minute conversation before the shooting.
“Apparently, the conversation had something to do with [Hussle] telling Mr. Holder that word on the street was that Mr. Holder was snitching,” Deputy Dist. Atty. John McKinney told the grand jury.
“The conversation wasn’t particularly intense. It wasn’t particularly belligerent,” McKinney added.
He went on to tell the grand jury that Holder responded to Hussle by saying: “So you’ve never snitched?” or “Haven’t you snitched?”
Police earlier said Holder left the strip mall, but returned a short time later. According to the grand jury transcript, he had a gun in each hand, and allegedly opened fire. After mortally wounding the hip-hop star, the gunman kicked him in the head.
“You got me,” Hussle said after he was shot.
Hussle, 33, was shot at least ten times. He died from gunshot wounds to the head and torso, according to the L.A. County coroner’s office. Two other men were injured in the shooting.
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L.A. County Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry ordered the grand jury transcript unsealed following media requests for the documents to be released.
The LAPD said on the day of the shooting that the suspect was driven away by a woman in a white Chevy Cruze. Her name has not been released to protect her identity following threats. The Times says she is now cooperating with investigators.
Police used surveillance video and social media posts from witnesses to identify Holder. He was arrested two days after the shooting in nearby Bellflower.
Holder, 29, has since been charged with one count of murder, two counts each of attempted murder and assault with a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He pleaded not guilty.
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Holder was initially represented by Christopher Darden, a prosecutor in O.J. Simpson’s 1995 murder trial. But Darden withdrew from the case last month, citing threats.
Hussle, real name Ermias Asghedom, was remembered during a memorial attended by thousands of people at the Staples Center on April 11, as well as this past weekend in a star-studded tribute at the BET Awards.
