Rapper Benny The Butcher Shot When 5 People In Masks Tried To Rob Him In Houston
HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - New York rapper Benny the Butcher was shot during a robbery attempt outside of a store in Houston, authorities said 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 in a Walmart parking lot in southwest Houston.
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.
The three began taking off their jewelry but were not moving fast enough for one of the suspects, who subsequently shot the rapper, Silva added.
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.
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.
A representative for Pennick didn't respond to a request for comment.
The rapper from Buffalo, New York is part of the hip-hop group Griselda and last month released his second studio album, "Burden of Proof."
He also recently signed a management deal with Roc Nation, an entertainment agency founded by superstar rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z, according to Spotify.
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 Sunday that he was OK.
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.
The Hatch shooting came in the deadliest weekend so far this year in Dallas with seven fatal shootings within 24 hours. On Monday, Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall announced that police resources would be focused on four areas of the city, although she withheld details on those areas to protect the officers' safety.
Hall also said she was bringing in the FBI to help Dallas police fight the upsurge in violence that has led to 220 Dallas homicides this year, compared to 210 in all of 2019.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)