Atlanta-bred rapper Young Scooter reportedly died on Friday (March 28), his 39th birthday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports local officers were called to a home in the 200 block of William Nye Drive after shots were fired and a woman was observed being dragged inside, according to Atlanta police homicide commander Lt. Andrew Smith.
He added, “When officers arrived, they knocked on the door and a male opened the door and immediately shut the door on the officers.” That’s when Scooter and another man allegedly took off on foot and Scooter somehow got “injured” along the way and later died at Grady Hospital. Police deny there was any kind of shooting.
“He appeared to have suffered an injury to his leg,” Smith said. “Officers rendered aid and he was transported to Grady Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The Atlanta Police Department has not been involved in any shootings tonight and the incident on William Nye—no one was—there was not a shooting at all. Just to be very clear, the injury that was sustained was not via the officers on scene.”
Some outlets are erroneously citing a report from Fox 5 Atlanta about a man who was killed in a shooting near State Farm Arena, but the man is 42 years old and actually survived but is in critical condition. There are seemingly endless tweets mourning his death. Playboi Carti, in particular, shared a photo of Scooter on on his Instagram Stories with the letters, “SMFH.”
Young Scooter’s Instagram Stories are littered with birthday wishes for him, with the last one being posted around 6:30 p.m. ET. The person it came from, Hasm Celestial, shared on his own Stories, “Bro you crushed me with this one.”
He followed up with, “That’s why they say love on your ppl every chance you get you never know when it’s over, you ain’t give a f### about the fame, our insider was that question, what you know about bro and you always say back to me, that’s my real brother right there. I just told you 4ever and every day after, never thought everyday after would be the same day.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been called in to review the incident due to public speculation surrounding the case. Despite the initial 911 reports, police haven’t located the female victim and are still working to verify what occurred. Smith added, “We have not been able to substantiate any of that, which is also a part of our investigation.”
Young Scooter (real name Kenneth Edward Bailey) was born on March 28, 1986, in Walterboro, South Carolina. He grew up in the Kirkwood Community of Atlanta after his family moved there when he was nine years old.
Scooter’s career in music began in 2008, following a charge for drug trafficking, which prompted him to focus on rapping. He was closely associated with Future, who he’s known since childhood, and Gucci Mane. Young Scooter ran his own label, Black Migo Gang, and was affiliated with Freebandz and 1017 Brick Squad Records.
He rose to prominence in 2012 with the release of several successful mixtapes, including Street Lottery. He collaborated with a wide range of artists such as Waka Flocka Flame, Chief Keef and Lil Wayne, among others.
