Rapper Nipsey Hussle was shot dead in Los Angeles more than three years ago. His violent death shook the music scene. The perpetrator has now been found guilty.
More than three years after the violent death of US rapper Nipsey Hussle, a 32-year-old man has been found guilty of murder in Los Angeles.
After a trial lasting several weeks, the jury returned a guilty verdict on Wednesday. The perpetrator acted with intent, the jury found. He faces life imprisonment. The sentence should be announced in mid-September, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
Hussle (“Victory Lap”) was shot dead in a Los Angeles parking lot in March 2019 at the age of 33. The shots were fired outside a clothing store that Hussle co-owned. Two other men were injured. The suspect, who fled the scene, was arrested two days later in the Los Angeles area. In the process, he was now also found guilty of attempted murder and illegal possession of weapons.
Hussle and abuser in the same gang
Hussle and the perpetrator belonged to the same street gang for a time. According to the police, the shooter had gotten into an argument with the rapper. Video from a surveillance camera showed the man firing the two-gun shots. The defense attorneys argued in the process that he had not acted intentionally. However, they failed in an attempt to avert a murder conviction.
The murder case had shaken the music scene at the time. Thousands lined the streets as the coffin containing Hussle’s body was driven 40 kilometers through several boroughs of Los Angeles after the funeral service in April 2019. More than 20,000 people attended a funeral service.
Funeral service with Snoop Dogg and Stevie Wonder
At the time, rapper Snoop Dogg praised his colleague as a lovable person who campaigned for the reconciliation of rival gangs. Stevie Wonder performed songs like “Rocket Love” and “Tears in Heaven”. The singer condemned gun violence, which had already killed enough people. A letter from former US President Barack Obama was also read, hailing Hussle’s transformation into a peace activist as a model for young people. In addition to his musical career, Hussle had been active in his community against gang crime.
