Police used surveillance video and social media posts by witnesses to help identify a suspect in the shocking death of Nipsey Hussle, the Grammy-nominated rapper, activist and entrepreneur gunned down in front of his Los Angeles clothing store on Sunday afternoon.
Police named 29-year-old Eric Holder as a suspect in the shooting late Monday night and asked for the public’s help in locating him.
The Los Angeles Police Department did not say if Holder had any known ties to Hussle, but law enforcement sources previously told ABC News the shooting appeared to have been targeted and personal based on how it was carried out.
(Scott Dudelson/Getty Images, FILE) Rapper Nipsey Hussle performs at Glen Helen Amphitheatre, May 12, 2018 in San Bernardino, Calif.Witnesses and people in the area have been posting names and pictures on social media, which helped LAPD investigators narrow the list of possible suspects, sources with knowledge of the investigation told ABC News on Monday.
Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, was shot multiple times in the head and torso while standing outside of his shop near LA’s Crenshaw District, where he grew up, around 3:20 p.m. local time, authorities said.
The 33-year-old rapper was rushed to a local hospital, where he later died. A second gunshot victim was taken to hospital and was listed in stable condition, and a third man was wounded but refused medical attention, police said.
A couple hours before he died, Hussle tweeted, “Having strong enemies is a blessing.”
Eric Holder is wanted for Homicide in the shooting of Nipsey Hussle. He was last seen in a 2016 white 4 door Chevy Cruze CA license plate 7RJD742. Anyone with information related to his whereabouts or this deadly shooting is urged to contact South Bureau Homicide at 323-786-5100 pic.twitter.com/3pX4fbezDs
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) April 2, 2019
Police had previously described the suspect as a black male in his 20s. One law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation told ABC News that the shooting appeared to stem from a personal dispute between Hussle and the shooter.
Police still don’t know if the shooting was gang related, but there are gang undertones there, one source said. The killer may have been involved in gang activity, but the shooting may have been more personal.
(Jerritt Clark/Getty Images, FILE) Rapper Nipsey Hussle speaks to kids after the opening of a basketball court, Oct. 22, 2018 in Los Angeles. Hussle partnered with Puma to refurbish the elementary school basketball court in south Los Angeles near where Nipsey grew up.Hussle acknowledged his affiliation with the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips, one of Los Angeles’ biggest and most notorious street gangs, in a 2010 interview with Complex magazine, but he was also working with authorities to help end gang violence.
The rapper was scheduled to meet with LAPD Commissioner Steve Soboroff and Police Chief Michael Moore to “talk about ways he could help stop gang violence and help us help kids.”
“RIP sir. Many of us will join together to stop whatever caused your, and so many other tragic unnecessary killings,” Soboroff tweeted late Sunday, adding in a later tweet: “I’m so very sad.”
