Rapper Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed shortly after he had a conversation about whether or not the suspected gunman was “snitching,” according to transcripts from the prosecutor’s summary of the incident as obtained by the LA Times.
Prosecutors in the grand jury hearing of the man accused of killing Hussle, 29-year-old Eric Holder, said that on March 31, Holder was seen having a brief conversation with Hussle before their topic of discussion turned to “snitching.”
“Apparently, the conversation had something to do with [Hussle] telling Mr. Holder that word on the street was that Mr. Holder was snitching,” Deputy Dist. Atty. John McKinney told the grand jury via the LA Times. “The conversation wasn’t particularly intense. It wasn’t particularly belligerent.”
The 515-page document obtained by the LA Times includes a detailed description of the events leading up to Hussle’s murder. Prosecutors say that Holder then asked Hussle if he had ever snitched. Holder then got in a car driven by another woman, pulled out a gun and asked her to drive around the block. When they returned, the prosecutor describes that Holder directed the woman to pull over and that he would be right back.
Holder is then accused of firing multiple rounds at Hussle from two different guns before jumping back into the car and ordering the woman to drive away. When the woman, who is a key witness in the prosecution’s case, asked what happened, the prosecution describes that Holder ordered her to drive or he would slap her.
Holder has plead not guilty to one count of murder, two counts each of attempted murder and assault with a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. According to the LA Times, the defense had requested that transcripts from the grand jury hearing not be unsealed for fear that it would jeopardize Holder’s right to a fair trial.
Hussle, the stage name of Grammy-nominated hip-hop star born Ermias Asghedom, was shot and killed on March 31 outside his Marathon Clothing store in South Los Angeles. He was 33.
The influential rapper was an icon and advocate in South LA, and a memorial service was held in his honor at downtown LA’s Staples Center in April, with Snoop Dogg and Louis Farrakhan offering tributes in person, while Barack Obama sent Hussle’s family a condolence letter that was read aloud at the ceremony.