An up-and-coming Chicago rapper was one of three men killed Friday morning when a fight outside a downtown Atlanta nightclub escalated to gunfire, and police working in the area attempted to intervene.
Investigators believe King Von, whose real name was Dayvon Bennett, was fatally wounded in the parking lot of the Monaco Hookah Lounge on Trinity Avenue prior to the officers’ involvement, according to Atlanta police. The GBI has not confirmed that account and is still working to determine who fired the fatal rounds that killed the rapper and two other unidentified men.
Several others were injured in the resulting chaos, including one person hit by a vehicle when the crowd scattered, police said. The GBI is investigating the incident as an officer-involved shooting.
Surveillance footage posted to Twitter on Friday appears to show the shooting during a brawl outside the nightclub, Atlanta police confirmed.
In the video, a large group is seen leaving the club as punches are thrown. The group scatters after one man steps out from behind an SUV and begins firing, striking what appears to be at least two people. One of the victims, presumably Bennett, is then loaded into a car and driven away from the scene.
No officers appear to be involved in the initial shooting, and the video aligns with the Atlanta Police Department’s description of events.
Two of the officers were in uniform working off-duty security jobs at the hookah lounge, and a third was on-duty nearby, according to police. None of the officers were injured.
King Von, 26, was signed to fellow Chicago rapper Lil Durk’s Only the Family label and Empire Distribution. He recently released a 16-track album and was set to premiere a music video for the song “Armed & Dangerous” on Friday, according to his Instagram page.
WATCH: UPDATE – 2 dead, multiple injured in officer-involved shooting in downtown #Atlanta – https://t.co/1pz59DhlMZ #Georgia pic.twitter.com/uKi1RFJnXX
— John Spink (@johnjspink) November 6, 2020
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“At this time, our investigators believe Mr. Bennett was shot during the initial shootout between the two groups of males, prior to police responding and attempting to stop the shooting,” Atlanta police spokesman Officer Anthony Grant said in a statement. “Additionally, Mr. Bennett was not located at the scene, but arrived at a hospital shortly after the shooting, via private vehicle. The investigation into this incident remains open and very active.”
It was the second shooting at the Monaco in a span of 24 hours. Two people were wounded there early Thursday, but investigators have no evidence that incident was related to Friday morning’s deadly bout of gunfire, according to Atlanta police Deputy Chief Timothy Peek.
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SOURCE: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chelsea Prince, John Spink, and Shaddi Abusaid
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