Eric Holder, suspected killer of Nipsey Hussle, arrested by police
LOS ANGELES (FOX 11) - Los Angeles police arrested a 29-year-old man wanted in connection to the murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle.
Eric Holder was arrested Tuesday in connection to Sunday's shooting death of the rapper outside The Marathon clothing store in South Los Angeles, police said.
"Eric Holder, the suspected killer of Nipsey Hussle, has been arrested and is in police custody. Thank you to both our community for the heightened awareness/vigilance, and our partners at @LASDHQ," the Los Angeles Police Department posted on Twitter.
According to authorities, around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, a member of the public called the police to report seeing a person they believed to be Eric Holder in the 9900 block of Artesia Boulevard in Bellflower.
Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies responded and detained the man. South Bureau Homicide detectives responded to Lakewood Sheriff's Station and confirmed the person is Eric Holder. Holder was transported to a Los Angeles Police Department facility and will be booked for murder.
During a press conference Tuesday, Los Angeles police Chief Michel Moore said the fatal shooting involved a personal dispute between Hussle and Holder and was not gang violence.
Moore told reporters that Holder and Hussle knew each other, but Moore did not disclose any details about the nature of the dispute.
Investigators said the suspect repeatedly came up to Hussle and spoke with him, then returned with a gun and opened fire before fleeing in a car driven by an unidentified woman.
Hussle was one of three men shot outside The Marathon clothing store. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, while the other two men were in stable condition.
During the press conference, Moore called on Holder to go to a police station and turn himself in, adding that he was confident the suspect was watching.
Hussle, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, was an Eritrean-American father of two who was engaged to actress Lauren London.
Born on Aug. 15, 1985, Hussle said his first passion was music but getting resources was tough after leaving his mother's house at 14 to live with his grandmother. He said he got involved in street life as he tried to support himself, and he joined the gang Rollin 60's Neighborhood Crips as a teenager.
His hip-hop friends and other stars, including Rihanna and Snoop Dogg, mourned on social media.
"This doesn't make any sense! My spirit is shaken by this!," Rihanna wrote while posting photos of Hussle with his daughter and another with his fiance. "Dear God may His spirit Rest In Peace and May You grant divine comfort to all his loved ones! I'm so sorry this happened to you @nipseyhussle."
The Los Angeles police chief said he was devastated by the killing of Hussle, who was shot a day before they were to have a meeting about the relationship between police and the inner city.
Suggested: Rapper Nipsey Hussle creates positive change in South LA
Tuesday's press conference was held hours after a disturbance at a memorial for Hussle that left at least 19 people injured, including two people taken to local hospitals in critical condition.
Dozens of police officers cleared the memorial site after a fight apparently broke out and a stampede ensued.
Anyone with further information about the case was asked to call LAPD's South Bureau Homicide detectives at 323-786-5100 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.