(LOS ANGELES) — Police identified suspects on Wednesday who they say are connected to the fatal shooting of rapper PNB Rock during a Sept. 12 robbery in South Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s South Bureau Homicide Division identified Freddie Lee Trone as a suspect and urged the public for assistance in locating Trone, who is believed to be armed and dangerous.
Police told Los Angeles ABC station KABC-TV that officers also arrested two of Trone’s family members who are believed to be connected with the murder. Shauntel Trone, 32, was booked for accessory to murder, while Freddie Lee Trone’s 17 year-old son was booked for murder, law enforcement sources told KABC. It is unclear if any of the suspects have retained attorneys at this time.
PNB Rock, whose legal name was Rakim Allen, was fatally shot during a robbery at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles while dining with his girlfriend. According to police, a suspect demanded jewelry and other valuables from Allen and his girlfriend Stephanie Sibounheuang before getting into a struggle with the rapper and opening fire.
The Philadelphia-born rapper was a force on the East Coast and collaborated with some of the biggest artists in the hip-hop industry as an artist and a producer. He was 30 years old when he died.
Hip-hop stars from Drake and Young Thug, to Meek Mill and Nicki Minaj posted tributes to Allen on social media, with some reflecting on the violence that has continued to plague the hip-hop community.
According to social media posts, Allen’s location at Roscoe’s was reportedly tagged on social media in a since-deleted message. Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that the LAPD is investigating whether the geotagged post led to the attack.
PNB Rock was an independent artist who gained popularity on the SoundCloud platform and released a number of hits that charted on the Billboard Hot 100. He was featured in XXL Magazine’s Freshman Class of rappers to watch in 2017.
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