Nipsey Hussle's Last Words Were to His Killer as the Rapper Was Kicked as He Lay Bleeding: D.A.
Moments before Nipsey Hussle was gunned down in front of his Marathon Clothing store, the famed rapper had a final exchange with his alleged shooter.
Shortly after having a brief conversation with Eric Holder on March 31, Hussle was shot several times and kicked in the head by Holder, according to grand jury transcripts unsealed on Thursday and obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
As he lay dying after being shot at least 10 times, Deputy District Attorney John McKinney told the court, the “Double Up” rapper, 33, turned to Holder, 29, and allegedly told him, “You got me.”
Hussle’s heartbreaking final words were just one of the many details that were unveiled this week from the May grand jury proceedings.
During McKinney’s opening statement, he alleged that Holder and his girlfriend pulled into a busy parking lot at the time to get food from a burger restaurant, according to the Los Angeles Times.
That’s when Holder allegedly spotted Hussle, McKinney said.
“Apparently, the conversation had something to do with [Hussle] telling Mr. Holder that word on the street was that Mr. Holder was snitching,” McKinney said in his statement. “The conversation wasn’t particularly intense. It wasn’t particularly belligerent.”
McKinney went on to explain that Holder was heard asking Hussle, “So you’ve never snitched?” or “Haven’t you snitched?”
Holder then got back into his car, and he and the woman drove off. As she was driving, Holder allegedly pulled out a gun and told the woman to drive around the block so that he could load the weapon, the D.A. told the grand jury.
He then allegedly told her to pull over and said he’d be right back. It was at that moment that McKinney said Holder allegedly approached Hussle outside of his store and shot him multiple times, before kicking the rapper in the head and fleeing.
When he got back into the car with the woman, he told her to quickly drive away, McKinney alleged. When she questioned him about what happened, she said he threatened to slap her if she didn’t just drive, the D.A. told the grand jury.
The woman, a key prosecution witness, has not been identified by name but is currently in fear for her life due to a plethora of threats she’s received, according to court documents.
Identified only as Witness 1 in court documents, the woman told an LAPD detective that she has been receiving death threats in retaliation for the murder. Authorities deemed these threats legitimate after a brief investigation.
Investigators say her license plate number has been distributed on social media following the murder of the California-based rapper, and that descriptions of her physical appearance and car are circulating online as well.
Detectives within the LAPD deemed the woman’s protection “very important,” and according to grand jury testimony obtained by TMZ, local police may possibly relocate her into hiding. It is still unclear whether the woman has accepted the authorities’ offer of protective custody.
She has, however, been granted immunity for her testimony, the Los Angeles Times reported.
In May, Holder was indicted for Hussle’s murder by a grand jury. He pled not guilty to the crime.
In the wake of his death, Hussle (né Ermias Asghedom) has been honored by many, including his most recent celebration of life at the 2019 BET Awards on Sunday.
The network’s annual awards presented a moving tribute that included a performance by Marsha Ambrosius, YG, John Legend and DJ Khaled, before T.I. presented Hussle with the humanitarian award posthumously for his work in revitalizing his South Los Angeles neighborhood.
Lauren London, Hussle’s longtime girlfriend, accepted the trophy alongside the rapper’s family, including his 2-year-old son Kross and 10-year-old daughter Emani Asghedom.
“I just want to thank you guys for all of the love and support,” she said. “The marathon continues again.”
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Hussle’s grandmother Margaret Boutte expressed gratitude for the support her family has received in the wake of Hussle’s passing. “God said to Nipsey, ‘You’ve done your job, you’ve made your mark,’” Boutte reflected. “So thank you so much, world, for loving him, too.”
Among the speakers were also Hussle’s parents, mom Angelique Boutte Smith and father Dawit Asghedom, who admitted how much he misses his son.
“He wanted to be here so badly,” Hussle’s father said. “Last year he made it to perform here and we were so happy for him. You recognize him and we appreciate that. The marathon continues.”
