Man suspected of shooting rapper Nipsey Hussle charged with murder
The man suspected of killing Nipsey Hussle was charged Thursday with murder and two counts of attempted murder over an attack outside the rapper's South Los Angeles clothing store Sunday. Los Angeles County prosecutors filed the charges against 29-year-old Eric Holder.
Holder pleaded not guilty during his first court appearance Thursday in Los Angeles Thursday, two days after his arrest after a nearly 48-hour manhunt.
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Authorities say Holder and Hussle, who knew each other, has several conversations Sunday outside the rapper's South L.A. clothing store. They say Holder eventually returned with a handgun and shot Hussle, who was declared dead at a hospital. He also wounded two other men during the attack, authorities said.
Holder was ordered held in lieu of $5 million bail. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Holder has a previous felony conviction. In 2012 he pleaded no contest to possession of a loaded firearm and was sentenced to six months in jail and three years' probation. The case filed Thursday includes a charge that he was a felon in possession of a gun during the attack on Hussle.
The rapper and suspect knew each other, and had some sort of personal dispute the day of the shooting, police said, declining to give further details about their relationship.
Hussle, 33, was engaged to actress Lauren London, with whom he had a 2-year-old son. He had another daughter from a previous relationship.
He was a beloved figure in the community that he was seeking to rebuild starting with his clothing store, among his fellow entertainers, and with public officials who praised his philanthropy and advocacy.
Hussle had success in hip-hop's inner circles for 10 years through his coveted mixtapes, then last year broke big with his major-label debut album, "Victory Lap," which was nominated for a Grammy.