N.Y. Police Arrest 2 in the Drive-by Slaying of Rapper Chinx, Malika Haqq's Ex
Two men in Long Island, New York, have been charged with five criminal counts each for their alleged roles in the fatal 2015 shooting of rapper Chinx, Malika Haqq’s ex.
PEOPLE confirms that both Jamar Hill, 26, and 32-year-old Quincy Homere have been indicted on counts of murder, attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon in the shooting.
Their arrests were announced by Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown in New York City. Both suspects were already in police custody on unrelated charges.
The 31-year-old Chinx, who was born Lionel Pickens, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Queens on May 17, 2015, authorities said. He was shot less than an hour after performing at a nightclub in Brooklyn.
Another person in the car was also shot but survived.
“In another example of the mindless gun violence plaguing our country, a young, up-and-coming musician had his life and career dramatically cut short by a burst of senseless shooting that also wounded an acquaintance,” Brown, the district attorney, said in a statement about this week’s charges. “Such violence has no place in a civilized society.”
Chinx and Haqq were linked in 2015, when he was reportedly still married.
His widow, Janelli Pickens, told local TV soon after his death, “It is a hard time, we are going through a lot. It’s a very devastating situation. His kids are greatly affected by all this. They don’t quite understand, but it will hit them soon.
Haqq learned of Chinx’s death during filming for E! reality series (and Keeping Up with the Kardashians spinoff) Dash Dolls.
In the episode, Haqq turned to sister Khadijah and to best friend Khloé Kardashian for consolation.
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Chinx, who was associated with French Montana’s Coke Boys clique, was shot more than 15 times and later pronounced dead at the hospital, according to investigators.
The two accused gunmen allegedly followed him from his performance in Brooklyn, opened fire on him in Queens and then fled.
Investigators have yet to comment on a potential motive for the deadly attack.
N.Y.C. Police Commissioner James O’Neill said in a statement that the indictment shows that the suspects “essentially stalked their victims before shooting them and making a getaway.”
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“But through the talent and tenacity of the Queens South detectives, working closely with the office of the Queens District Attorney, they have now been brought back to answer for this violent act,” O’Neill said.
Both men face life in prison if convicted.
Neither has entered a plea and their attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.
