As REVOLT previously reported, Lil Tjay is currently at the hospital undergoing emergency surgery after a shooting early this morning. The news of the shooting has left many fans and associates of the rapper stunned.
As the story has been unfolding, it is now revealed that the attack occurred as part of an attempted robbery. Mohamed Konate, 27, was arrested on charges of attempted murder, armed robbery and weapons offenses. Prosecutors are accusing Konate of firing at Lil Tjay, born Tione Merritt, as well as Jeffrey Valdez, 24, and Antoine Boyd, 22, both of the Bronx, who were with him.
Tjay was struck multiple times in the maelstrom, which also injured Boyd, Prosecutors said Wednesday night.
There has been an outpouring of support for the rapper on social media. Rapper Casanova took to his Instagram to share his thoughts. “Ni**a you know better!!! Praying for you from my jail cell lil bro. You gonna be alright tough times don’t last long only tough people do. And you a bad mother f**ka! When you get out stop by the crib and pick that billet proof up! @liltjay.”
Rubi Rose wrote “pray for tjay” with a heart emoji. Fivio Foreign wrote, “Pull through gangsta @liltjay.”
French Montana also spoke about the news in a brief interview with TMZ. While he says that while he hasn’t spoken to Lil Tjay, he is keeping him in his thoughts and prayers. “It’s hard out here for rappers,” French continued. “We got the hardest job. You don’t know where it comes from, man. We think that everybody loves us, but everybody doesn’t love us.”
French continued to talk about Lil Tjay and the difficulty that rappers face in trusting the people around them. “I experienced that myself, because the person that shot me is the one who drove me to the hospital. So your greatest threat always comes from the inside.” He then pivoted to speak about his upcoming album Montega, set to drop on Friday (June 24).