PnB Rock: Rapper shot dead in LA waffle house in suspected robbery
- Published
PnB Rock was reportedly shot by a gunman demanding jewellery
US rapper PnB Rock has been shot dead in an apparent robbery at a Los Angeles restaurant.
The musician, 30, was with his girlfriend when a gunman reportedly demanded jewellery before opening fire inside a waffle house in the south of the city.
Police found PnB with multiple gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead in hospital 45 minutes later.
No arrests have yet been made over Monday's shooting.
Los Angeles Police Department Capt Kelly Muniz said a suspect approached a couple inside Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles and demanded they hand over personal items.
She told reporters at the scene this led to "some sort of verbal exchange" before the victim was shot several times and fell to the floor.
The suspect then "removed items from the victim", she said, before running to a waiting getaway car and fleeing the scene.
US media has said law enforcement sources confirmed the rapper was the target of the attack.
Tributes have since flooded in for PnB Rock - real name Rakim Hasheem Allen - who rose to fame with the release of his 2016 hit Selfish and had collaborated with artists including Ed Sheeran.
Superstar Drake posted a photo of the pair together on his Instagram story, and rapper Offset posted a Twitter tribute urging followers to pray for PnB's two children.
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Others pointed out that the shooting follows the death of fellow rapper Pop Smoke - who was killed in a Hollywood Hills burglary last February.
It's been suggested his killers were able to find his address after he accidentally revealed it in a social media post.
The latest shooting has led to discussions about the safety of rappers, after it was suggested an Instagram photo of PnB and his partner may have revealed the pair's location.
DJ Akademiks, who runs a popular hip-hop YouTube channel, said he had interviewed the rapper just a week ago about a previous attempt to rob him.
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Nicki Minaj said Pop Smoke's death had taught rappers to be more cautious about their whereabouts.
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Meanwhile Cardi B took a different view, and challenged people who had blamed PnB Rock's girlfriend Stephanie Sibounheuang for posting the photo.
She tweeted that it was "highly unlikely" that the suspects had tracked them online and that it was "irresponsible and inconsiderate" to blame Stephanie for "something so tragic".
PnB Rock was born in Philadelphia in 1991, going on to record two studio albums, Catch These Vibes and Trapstar Turnt PopStar.
He released his most recent song, Luv Me Again, just two days before the shooting.
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- Published19 February 2020
