A 34-year-old man shot to death outside a smoke shop in the Vermont-Slauson neighborhood of South Los Angeles is a son of rap mogul and alleged gang leader Eugene Henley Jr., officials confirmed Saturday.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s 77th Division responded to calls regarding a shooting at 11:11 p.m. Friday in the 6900 block of South Figueroa Street, west of the Harbor (110) Freeway, an LAPD spokesman told City News Service.
According to witnesses, the victim was approaching a vehicle when someone inside the car shot him, police said. Paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
Police had no motive or suspect description and did not confirm reports that the victim was Henley’s son, but the Los Angeles County Office of the Medical Examiner reported Saturday that the man killed was Jabari Henley.
By midday Saturday, Jabari Henley was being mourned on several social media sites.
The elder Henley is in jail awaiting trial on allegations of racketeering, fraud, extortion and embezzlement. The 58-year-old has also allegedly been linked to the 2021 killing of an aspiring rapper in Las Vegas, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The self-described anti-gang activist from the South L.A. community of Hyde Park has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing.
“Ain’t going to be no real evidence,” Henley posted on Instagram earlier this year. “Ain’t going to be no real nothing … Now, they’re saying all that stuff to assassinate my character.”
According to federal prosecutors, Henley is a leader of the Rollin’60s Neighborhood Crips and runs a vast, “mafia-like” organization that has committed crimes including murder, trafficking and COVID fraud.
Henley founded the Los Angeles music label Uneek Music, and was instrumental in launching the career of the late Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was shot to death in South Los Angeles in 2019. Henley served 13 years in prison for trying to steal cocaine from an undercover sheriff’s deputy in 1991.
Another of his sons, Daiyan Henley, plays linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers.
A status conference in Henley’s case is scheduled Wednesday at the U.S. Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
Allison Craig is a passionate sports writer and analyst with a deep love for game strategies, player performances, and the latest trends in the sports world. With years of experience covering football, basketball, tennis, and more, she delivers insightful analysis and engaging content for sports enthusiasts.
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