Rapper Nipsey Hussle Is Fatally Shot in Los Angeles, Officials Say

The rapper Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot outside his clothing store in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles on Sunday, the authorities said.

Nipsey Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, was shot multiple times, according to The Los Angeles Times. His death was confirmed by a Los Angeles city official.

Two other people were shot and wounded, one of whom was taken to a nearby hospital, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

All three were shot in the parking lot outside the store, according to Lt. Chris Ramirez of the Los Angeles police. He said that the police were still piecing together what happened and that they do not have a motive for the shooting, which they are investigating as a homicide. The police believe at least one suspect fled from the scene in a car.

Footage from local television stations showed multiple police vehicles blocking off a road near a small shopping complex near the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. Nipsey Hussle was shot outside The Marathon Clothing store, which he opened in 2017, according to multiple news reports.

“Our hearts are with the loved ones of Nipsey Hussle and everyone touched by this awful tragedy,” Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, said in a tweet Sunday. “L.A. is hurt deeply each time a young life is lost to senseless gun violence.”

“Victory Lap,” Nipsey Hussle’s debut studio LP for Atlantic Records, was nominated this year for best rap album at the Grammy Awards, losing to Cardi B’s “Invasion of Privacy.”

News of his death prompted an outpouring of support from musicians and the community in Los Angeles, where Nipsey Hussle was born.

“My whole energy is just at a low right now hearing this,” the rapper Drake, who collaborated with Nipsey Hussle, wrote on Instagram. He added: “You were a real one to your people and to the rest of us. I’m only doing this here cause I want the world to know I saw you as a man of respect and a don. Rest easy my g.”

Nipsey Hussle was an outspoken representative of the Crenshaw neighborhood.

Mark Ridley-Thomas, a Los Angeles County supervisor who represents south Los Angeles, said Nipsey Hussle “was a father, businessman, entertainer, and inspiration to many.”

“We mourn his sudden and tragic passing and send his family our deepest condolences,” he said.

A Los Angeles fixture since the mid-2000s, Nipsey Hussle first drew widespread acclaim in hip-hop for his three-part mixtape series, “Bullets Ain’t Got No Name.” His stage name is a twist on the comedian Nipsey Russell.

He has collaborated with artists including Snoop Dogg and YG, drawing from the city’s tradition of gangster rap and intricate street-level storytelling. In 2013, Nipsey Hussle created industry buzz by creating only 1,000 physical copies of his mixtape “Crenshaw,” an independent release that was free online, and selling each for $100 at a pop-up shop. He said Jay-Z bought 100 copies.

“Nipsey was not only one of the greatest artists we worked with but an amazing father and leader in his community,” Nipsey Hussle’s label, Atlantic Records, said in a statement Sunday. “One of the kindest and brightest stars in the universe, he was inspiring to all.”