A vigil in honor of the late rapper Nipsey Hussle took a violent turn Monday night, leading to multiple injuries.
Hundreds of fans had gathered to mourn the artist outside Marathon Clothing, the slain rapper’s South Los Angeles store where he was fatally shot on Sunday. When violence broke out at the memorial, multiple fans were injured while trying to leave the event in a panicked stampede, reported USA Today.
The origins of the violence remain unclear. The Los Angeles Fire Department told the outlet a call reporting a shooting came in at 8:14 PST. However, police later said there was no evidence of shots fired.
While police reported no sign of gunshot wounds, the injuries included at least one stabbing, as well as six injuries sustained from “unknown causes.” The majority of the injuries were the result of the stampede that broke out in the wake of the reported violence, an LAFD spokeswoman told USA Today.
“A HUGE stampede of people rushed out of the memorial area,” reported ABC7’s Veronica Miracle in a tweet. “People thought they heard something break or a loud noise and started running.”
A HUGE stampede of people rushed out of the @NipseyHussle memorial area. People thought they heard something break or a loud noise and started running. @ABC7 pic.twitter.com/rVp84eNCYi
— Veronica Miracle (@ABC7Veronica) April 2, 2019
After determining reports of gun shots to be inaccurate, police began trying to restore order. “Our men and women are on scene and making every effort to protect everyone in attendance at the Nipsey Hussle vigil,” tweeted the Los Angeles Police Department.
Monday night’s chaos erupted in the aftermath of Hussle’s tragic death on Sunday, after he was shot multiple times outside his L.A. clothing store. He was 33. Late Monday night, the suspect was identified as 29-year-old Eric Holder.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
