Memphis-based rapper Young Dolph was fatally shot Wednesday in Memphis, according to multiple reports.
Three independent law enforcement sources told FOX13 that Young Dolph, whose real name is Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was killed Wednesday afternoon in Memphis.
The shooting happened at Makeda’s Butter Cookies on Airways Boulevard, according to WHBQ.
Maurice Hill, the shop’s owner, told FOX13 that Young Dolph, 36, went into the store to buy cookies when someone drove up and fatally shot him.
Police tweeted that no suspect information was available, The Associated Press reported.
“The tragic shooting death of rap artist Young Dolph serves as another reminder of the pain that violent crime brings with it,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in a statement, according to the AP. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
The Daily Memphian newspaper reported that Young Dolph’s cousin, Mareno Myers, said the rapper had been in town since Monday visiting an aunt who has cancer. He also was giving out turkeys for Thanksgiving, the AP reported.
The rapper was born in Chicago and moved to Memphis when he was 2, according to The Commercial Appeal.
In 2016, Young Dolph released “King of Memphis,” his debut album. “Rich Slave” was released in 2020 and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Young Dolph was known throughout Memphis and its surrounding areas. He handed out turkeys for Thanksgiving, spoke to schoolchildren and donated money to his former high school, according to WHBQ.
Credit: Bennett Raglin
Credit: Bennett Raglin
Crowds gathered Wednesday afternoon at the site of the shooting.
Fans and friends remembered Young Dolph on Twitter.
Young Dolph was shot multiple times in 2017 after being knocked to the ground during a fight at the Loews Hollywood hotel, Kate Feldman of the New York Daily News reported. Rapper Yo Gotti was named a person of interest but was cleared, Feldman reported.
Police said no gunshots have been fired at Yo Gotti’s Prive Restaurant in Memphis, according to reporter Hannah Wallsmith.
Young Dolph also said he was targeted in Charlotte, North Carolina, in February of that year in a shooting that left his SUV riddled with bullets and more than 100 shell casings at the scene, Feldman reported.
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