Nipsey Hussle: 1 dead, 3 injured in ‘senseless violence’ during funeral procession

LOS ANGELES (UPI) — Four people were shot, one fatally, in Los Angeles Thursday during the funeral procession for slain rapper Nipsey Hussle, police said. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said three men and one woman were shot near the intersection of 103rd Street and Main Street in the neighborhood of Watts. He did not specify who had died but only that the victims were black and between the ages of 30 and 50 years old. The suspects fired on the victims from a gray Hyundai, Moore said in a tweet. “We must stop this senseless violence,” he said. The shooting occurred as some 10,000 fans of the slain rapper, whose legal name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom, lined the 25.5-mile funeral procession route through Los Angeles for Hussle, who was shot and killed March 31 in the parking lot of his clothing store The Marathon Clothing Company. Two others were also shot in the incident. Eric Holder, 29, was arrested April 2 for Hussle’s death and charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, charges he pleaded not guilty to. He is being held in jail on a $5-million bond. Multiple people were also injured during a vigil held for Hussle April 2 after a stampede, which began after someone in the crowd of 400 people saw someone with a gun. The LAPD said Thursday it is continuing to investigate the incident, and had served a search warrant on several locations in the Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue area to obtain evidence. Thursday’s shooting comes during an uptick in gun violence in the city. In the week ending with Hussle’s death, 26 people had been shot and 10 people killed, Moore said. Prior to the funeral procession, a memorial service was held for Hussle at the Staples Center, with performances by Stevie Wonder and Jhene Aiko with speeches by Snoop Dogg and others. Reporting by Darryl Coote