US Marshals and Memphis Police confirm that suspect, Justin Johnson, is wanted for the murder of rapper Young Dolph.
Johnson, 23, is wanted for first-degree murder, criminal attempt first-degree murder and theft of property for the November shooting.
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A mugshot of Johnson was tweeted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation with a warning that he should be considered armed and dangerous.
The US Marshals Service, Memphis Police Department, Crime Stoppers and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are offering a combined reward of up to $15,000 for information leading to Johnson’s arrest.
He has also been added to TBI’s “Most Wanted” list.
The news comes as:
Johnson has an outstanding warrant for violation of federal supervised release out of the US District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
Johnson is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall weighing about 190 pounds, according to law enforcement. He has the name “Jaiya” tattooed on his right arm.
Young Dolph, real name Adolph Robert Thornton Jr, was fatally shot at Makeda’s Cookies on November 17.
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Police said that two men exited a white Mercedes-Benz and fired shots into the Memphis bakery where the 36-year-old rapper was buying cookies.
Police released photos taken from surveillance video that captured the shooting.
Read our Young Dolph suspect live blog for the very latest news and updates…
Investigators have not yet released any information about a possible motive.
Maurice Hill, the owner of the shop where the shooting happened, told FOX13 his employees said Young Dolph walked into the store to buy cookies around 1pm.
People who were in the area around the shop at the time reported hearing dozens of gunshots.
The owner of local store Comfort Coin-Operated Laundry told The Sun: “My worker who was here hit the floor when she heard the gunshots.
“We’re closing up real soon. Everything is shut down. The street in front of the store and all the side streets are blocked off because people are coming over here to see what happened,” she said at the time.
The busy street is an exit ramp from Interstate 240, which was backed up for miles on the day of the shooting.
“There [are] about 1,000 people trying to see what’s going on,” an employee at nearby Airway Inn said at the time.
STREET RENAMED FOR LATE RAPPER
After the rapper’s death, Memphis renamed a street in his honor.
Young Dolph rose to fame in 2016 following the release of his debut studio album, King of Memphis, which peaked at number 49 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Since then, he had released eight additional albums, with his seventh album, which was released in 2020, becoming his highest-charting project.
The street renaming took place at Airways Boulevard and Dunn Avenue which was later named Adolph Thornton Jr, Dolph’s real name.
“It’s about honoring and showing respect to our very own,” Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr. told ABC24.
“For the individuals that walk down that street, the young kids who frequent Airways and Dunn who live in Castalia Heights, every time they see that sign they’re going to see inspiration.”
The rapper was also admired for his charitable work in the Memphis area.
He organized Thanksgiving food giveaways, donated thousands of dollars to high schools, and paid for rent and sometimes funeral costs for people in the Castalia Heights neighborhood, where he grew up.
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