Rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed on Wednesday morning at a home in Hollywood Hills, California, according to multiple reports.
Pop Smoke, whose real name is Bashar Jackson, was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was 20 years old.
Police officers responded to an emergency call in Hollywood Hills at around 4:29 am. and found multiple masked men at the scene. The shooting victim was transported and pronounced dead at a local hospital, Los Angeles Police Officer Lizeth Lomeli confirmed to HuffPost.
The LAPD did not immediately confirm the victim’s identity or whether it was a home invasion, as some outlets have reported.
Capt. Steve Lurie, commanding officer of the LAPD’s Hollywood area, said at a press conference on Wednesday that it had been “widely reported that the victim is a music star of some import,” according to The Associated Press.
“We have not confirmed the identity of the victim yet so we are not stating that,” he continued.
Lurie told reporters that the emergency call to the police was made by a friend “back east,” who reported that a break-in was occurring at the Hollywood Hills home.
Several people who were in the house were detained and then released, Lurie said, according to the AP.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
