Reports confirmed on Friday afternoon (Nov. 6) that King Von had tragically passed away in Atlanta. The 26-year-old rapper reportedly succumbed to his injuries after being shot outside of a nightclub around 3 a.m. local time.
While hip hop and fans mourn the passing of the Chicago-born up-and-comer, some questioned the extent of police involvement in the shooting. One audio snippet — allegedly obtained from Chicago police — circulated on Twitter and appeared to show Atlanta cops admitting to shooting and killing Von.
However — according to his manager — this was not the case. In a conversation quoted by DJ Akademiks on Twitter, the rapper’s manager explained that police were involved in the incident, but did not fatally shoot Von.
“From my convo with Von manager who survived getting shot, he says it wasn’t the police who killed King Von,” Akademiks wrote. “However, he did say Police did engage in a shoot out with other armed individuals who were there.”
Akademiks added that Von’s manager said the rapper was unarmed during the incident.
A statement from Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Timothy Peek also confirmed officers’ involvement in the shooting.
“There was an incident where two groups of individuals got into a physical altercation. The physical altercation escalated into an exchange of gunfire with those groups,” Peek said earlier this morning. “Two police officers who were working at that particular club, or lounge, noticed the gunfire, the altercation, and engaged some of the people involved. There was an exchange of gunfire with police as well.”
According to Peek, two others besides Von were also killed in the shooting. Two more are currently in a stable condition.
The REVOLT team continues to send our condolences to Von’s family, friends and fans. Just last week, the rapper released his new album, Welcome To O’Block. A buzzing talent in Chicago’s drill scene, Von was revered for his storytelling abilities.
Rest in peace, King Von. See Akademiks’ tweet and Deputy Chief Peek’s statement below.