The late rapper Nipsey Hussle is the subject of a posthumous investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department to determine whether the strip mall that housed his Marathon Clothing store was a hotspot for gang activity.
Hussle was a member of the Rollin 60s Neighbourhood Crips and was shot and killed outside the store in LA on March 31.
He was open about his membership of the gang but recently he had been working with the city to reduce gang violence.
He had purchased the strip mall and planned to build new apartments in the area, often employing men affiliated with the gang, and trying to help former inmates who had done time for gang-related crimes.
According to the New York Times, the investigation was already underway before his death, but the shooting heightened concerns of LAPD investigators who believed the strip mall was at the centre of gang violence.
The report also states that city officials urged the former owners of the strip mall to evict Hussle and his associates, but instead they sold the property to him and a group of investors.
A spokesperson for the LAPD declined to comment on any specifics of the investigation, but told the Times that police are actively negotiating with Nipsey’s associates on the property “to mitigate some of those crime issues”.
In April, Eric Holder was charged with Hussle’s murder.
The 29-year-old is facing life in prison after being charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
The Times report says that Holder had a “personal dispute with Hussle”, with witnesses claiming that Hussle told Holder that he was believed to be a snitch.
#Peace.Love.NipseyHussle
