At least two people have reportedly been critically injured and 10 others hurt after hundreds of fans stampeded during a vigil in Los Angeles for the Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was killed on Sunday.
The crowd outside Hussle’s clothing store in south Los Angeles appeared to be responding to reports of shots fired when the stampede occurred, police and media reports said. However, the Los Angeles police chief, Michel Moore, later said on Twitter that those “do not appear accurate”.
A Los Angeles fire department official told the LA Times that the department transported at least 10 people to hospitals, including two patients in critical condition. The majority of patients suffered injuries related to being trampled.
A local ABC news station reported on Twitter: “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.”
A spokesperson for the police was not immediately available early on Tuesday to elaborate on what happened.
DeAndre Harvey, a musician, told the LA Times that a fight broke out at the memorial and that attendees who heard bottles of alcohol breaking thought there had been a shooting.
Hussle, 33, whose real name is Ermias Asghedom, was shot multiple times in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon and rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A coroner determined that Asghedom died of gunshot wounds to the head and torso, and his death was ruled a homicide. The attack featured “numerous shots”, according to Los Angeles police.
Police have named a 29-year-old man, Eric Holder, as a suspect in the killing, who was seen fleeing the scene in a white Chevrolet.
Two other people were wounded in the shooting on Sunday outside Hussle’s store, Marathon Clothing, police said. No motive for the killing has been disclosed by police.
Hussle grew up in south Los Angeles and was a member of a street gang during his teenage years. He had since become a community organiser.
His debut studio album, Victory Lap, was nominated for best rap album at this year’s Grammy awards.
Tributes have continued to be paid to the rapper, including from fellow musician Pharrell Williams, who tweeted: “You were about something … positive and for your community in every chance you had to speak … and because of that You inspired millions … millions who will uphold your legacy forever. rest amongst the stars.”
The rapper Pusha T wrote: “He was sharing his purest self, his vision, and traits from his heritage with all of us: empowerment and a sense of community, something that many of us don’t have. White supremacy at its finest couldn’t have done something this terrible.”
Initial reports from Nielsen, who monitor music sales in the US, found that sales of Nipsey Hussle’s music rose by 2,776% in the wake of his death.
