Rapper Benny the Butcher shot during robbery attempt, expected to recover
The rapper is not the first victim of gun violence in Texas of late
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rapper Benny the Butcher, a member of the hip hop group Griselda, was shot during a robbery outside of a store in Houston, Texas, on Sunday.
Houston Police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said the 35-year-old performer, whose real name is Jeremie Pennick, was shot in the leg around 4:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of a Walmart on the southwest side of the city. As Pennick stepped out of his Rolls Royce, she said five individuals wearing masks approached him and two others who were with him, demanding their chains.
Silva noted that one of the suspects thought the rapper was moving too slowly and subsequently shot him.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She said the suspects fled the scene and Pennick was taken to the hospital. He's in stable condition and expected to survive. The people with him during the shooting were not wounded.
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Silva said the suspects are at large and an investigation is underway. A description of the suspects was not immediately released, but investigators said they were seen in a Chevy Malibu.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Benny the Butcher was shot outside of a store in Houston, Tx. (Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
The rapper, who originally comes from Buffalo, New York, released his second studio album, “Burden of Proof" last month. He also recently signed a management deal with Roc Nation, an entertainment agency founded by superstar rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z.
Pennick is at least the third rapper in less than a week to become the victim of gun violence in Texas.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hours before the incident involving Pennick, another hip hop artist, Boosie Badazz, whose real name is Torrence Hatch, was also shot in the leg. It occurred just a day after Hatch attended a vigil for slain Dallas rapper Mo3, who was shot and killed last Wednesday during a daytime attack on a highway in his hometown. The 38-year-old native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, told his fans in a Facebook post on Sunday that he was OK.
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Police have not announced whether arrests have been made in either case. WFAA-TV reports that authorities have said there is no evidence indicating Saturday’s shootings were connected to Noble's death.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.