Rapper Lil Tje was shot multiple times and another person was injured during an armed robbery attempt in New Jersey early Wednesday, according to officials.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, which is handling the investigation, said shots were fired at a Chipotle restaurant in a residential and outdoor shopping center in Edgewater.
The Edgewater Police Department responded to a 911 call about the shooting at 12:08 a.m. and found 21-year-old Lil Tje, whose legal name is Tion Jaden Merritt, with multiple gunshot wounds, according to one. News release from the prosecutor’s office.
Authorities said the second victim, 22-year-old Antoine Boyd, was found at an Exxon gas station about a mile from Chipotle, with a single shot.
Investigators determined that the suspect, Mohamed Konate, 27, of New York, “attempted to commit an armed robbery” against Lil Tje, and two men who were with Jeffrey Valdez and Boyd, 24, of the Bronx, New York, when the shooting occurred, prosecutors said. According to the office of
Detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the New York City Police Department arrested Konate on Wednesday on three counts of attempted murder, three counts of armed robbery, and other weapons charges, the release said. He is pending extradition to New Jersey.
Valdez and Boyd were also charged with illegally possessing weapons, officials said.
According to the release, he was sent to the Bergen County Jail until his first court appearance at the Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Counsel’s information for all three was not immediately available.
Both the victims were taken to the hospital where they were treated. tmz It was the first to report that Lil Tje had been shot and was undergoing emergency surgery on Wednesday.
NBC News has contacted its representatives for comment.
After news of the shooting, rapper French Montana tweeted “Pray for my lil bro lil tzay.”
Officials said in an update on Wednesday that the condition of one seriously injured person is stable. The second victim had non-life-threatening injuries and was in good condition.
Lil Tje posted on his Instagram Story on Tuesday: “PSA just because you’ve been around one person doesn’t make you entitled to the fruits of that person’s labor. Jealousy is always at a high level. Stay safe out.”
Lil Tje, from The Bronx, New York City, rose to prominence in 2018 with the song “Resume” and signed with Columbia Records,
The artist, who has over 7 million followers on Instagram and over 17 million listeners on Spotify, is best known for hits such as “Calling My Phone” with 6Lack and “In My Head”. He was featured in Polo G’s song “Pop Out”, which peaked at number 11. billboard hot 100 chartand Pop Smoke’s “Mood Swings.”