The Nipsey Hussle shooting was planned, the jury said

The Los Angeles District Attorney General told the jury that the deadly shooting at Nipsey Hussle was planned by a man accused of murdering a Grammy-winning rapper three years ago before his clothing store.

District Attorney John McKinney said during his inaugural statement on Wednesday that “there is no doubt” that Eric R. Holder knew in advance that he would kill Hussle. The prosecutor described the sequence of events, including a conversation about the “tearing off”, before Hussle’s shooting near South Los Angeles, where the two men grew up and helped the abuser live. Two people were injured in the shooting. “He was clearly thinking about what he would do before he did,” McKinney told the jury of Holder’s intentions.

Holder, 32, faces one first-degree murder charge and two first-degree murder attempts. The trial eventually began in the Los Angeles County Courtroom after it was largely repeated due to the pandemic.

Hussle, a hip-hop artist, father of two and beloved Ermias Ashgedom, born in South LA, was murdered on March 31, 2019 at the age of 33 in the parking lot in front of his shop. , known as the Marathon.

McKinney said Holder and Hussle knew each other, growing up in the same neighborhood where they were members of the same gang, Rollin ’60. In his introductory statement, McKinney told jurors a video of the aftermath of the shooting with several people trying to resuscitate Hussle. The prosecutor also showed several photos and other videos showing several corners of Holder shooting at Hussle and fleeing the scene, wearing a red shirt and scarf, and carrying a semi-automatic rifle and revolver.

After a two-day search, Holder was arrested and charged two months later by a grand jury.

McKinney said the shooting came from Hussle, who heard Holder’s a cracker and had to “clean it up.” He said before the shooting that the rapper and his two friends had a “great conversation” with Holder. Hussle reportedly visited the store without security. Lawyer Aaron Jansen has a terrible role in defending Holder, who could face life in prison if convicted. Several witnesses who knew Holder and Hussle told police and the grand jury that Holder approached Hussle and shot him.

Jansen said Hussle’s murder was not planned and the shooting of the other two people was never intentional, so the first-degree murders and attempted murders are too large. It could also cause Holder’s mental health problem.

McKinney said Holder used Bryannita Nicholson to take her to the mall where the murder took place. He said Nicholson was not going to serve as Holder’s driver.

McKinney said Holder Nicholson said after the shooting, “Drive before I hit you.” Nicholson, along with two wounded onlookers, was one of the main witnesses to the trial.

Holder and Nicholson stopped for food at the Marathon. This led to a one-off meeting and a brief conversation in which Hussle told Holder that rumors were circulating that Holder had spoken to the police about Rollin ’60 members. McKinney said, “Eric Holder moved to the point to return to the parking lot and kill Nipsey Hussle.”

The lawyers spent almost two weeks choosing a jury, and the trial is expected to take about two weeks.

Hussle, whose nickname is like a play by a famous cabaret artist from the 1970s, was nicknamed for his work ethic when he hung out on CDs. He spent years winning specialized sequels through mixtapes and underground recordings, recorded his first album with major labels and received a Grammy nomination a few months earlier.

Hussle’s death resonated around the world, but it was felt especially in his hometown, where people filled the streets on the occasion of his disappearance and where he mourned in a memorial in the 20,000-seat arena, once known as the Staples Center. In the same building, his memory was celebrated almost a year ago by DJ Khaled, Meek Mill John Legend and others at the Grammy Awards, and another local hero, Kobe Bryant, was killed in a helicopter crash on the same day.

Hussle left his longtime partner, actor Lauren London, with whom he has a son who is now 5 years old. He also has a daughter who is now 13 years old.