Brooklyn-born rapper Pop Smoke may have been shot dead over his ties to the Crips — with the killing appearing to be a targeted hit, according to reports Thursday.
The “Welcome to the Party” star was initially assumed to be the tragic victim of a robbery gone wrong after four masked men stormed a Los Angeles house party in the early hours Wednesday.
That theory emerged in part because the star had posted an Instagram photo of a friend holding a huge stack of cash — while also posting a package that showed the address for the Hollywood Hills home where he was staying.
But people who have seen surveillance of the attackers’ raid believe it was actually a hit job — saying the killers left empty-handed, according to TMZ, which described it as a “targeted hit.”
The Los Angeles Times said the rapper was also tied to the Crips, with detectives treating the slaying as a gang-related homicide.
Detectives believe the attackers are also likely gang members, but have yet to determine if the killing was motivated by gang rivalry.
