A man has been arrested in connection with the shooting of rapper Lil Tjay in New Jersey on Tuesday night for what prosecutors say is an attempted robbery on the rapper and two of his friends while they were at a mall in New Jersey.
Authorities have confirmed that Lil Tjay was shot while at a New Jersey shopping center early Wednesday in an attempted robbery on him and two other men with him.
Details about the 911 call revealed that police officers responded to reports of a shooting at Promenade in Edgewater at around 12:08 a.m. and found the rapper along with two men, Jeffrey Valdez, 24, and Antoine Boyd, 22.
Lil Tjay, whose real name is Tione Jayden Merritt, received multiple gunshot wounds. There was no update on the rapper’s health despite earlier reports that he underwent emergency surgery, but he was not out of the woods as yet as his condition was delicate.
In the meantime, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that Boyd was also injured while Valdez suffered minor injuries.
Prosecutors also announced that a suspect Mohamad Konate, 27, of New York City, was arrested in a joint operation by detectives from New Jersey and the New York City Police Department.
He has been charged with three counts of first-degree attempted murder, one count of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and one count of second-degree certain persons not to possess a firearm, and one count of fourth-degree aggravated assault.
The prosecutor’s office says that the men with Lil Tjay were also charged for having illegal firearms on them. They are facing charges for second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and are being held without bond at the Bergen County Jail.
News of the shooting was first reported on Wednesday morning by TMZ.
The rapper’s last post on his Instagram Story is eerie as he spoke about envious persons.
“Just because you’ve been around a person doesn’t make you entitled to the fruits of that person’s labor. Envy Is At An All-Time High Be Safe Otchea.”
