Rapper PnB Rock was shot and killed on Monday (Sept. 12) in Los Angeles. He was 30. The rapper, who was born Rakim Hasheem Allen, was dining at a local Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles with his girlfriend Stephanie Sibounheuang around 1 p.m. when the shooting occurred, TMZ first reported. The rapper’s girlfriend posted a photo of the food and tagged the location minutes prior to the attack, according to multiple sources.
Los Angeles police Capt. Kelly Muniz said that the victim was shot almost immediately by the assailant during the robbery according to The Los Angeles Times. “He shot the victim and ran out the side door to a getaway car and then fled the parking lot,” she said.
Law enforcement was called to the restaurant at 1:23 p.m. to respond to a shooting with life-threatening injuries. Rock was transported to a nearby hospital and later pronounced dead at 1:59 pm, per The Los Angeles Times.
An explicit and graphic video then began circulating online after news broke that the rapper was shot. The video depicted Rock on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood. Individuals on social media suggested that the suspect knew of his location due to his girlfriend’s post on her since-deleted Instagram Story. One source cited by TMZ says the shooter took jewelry off PnB and then fled.
PnB Rock was a Philadelphia native who is best known for his 2016 breakout single “Selfish,” which peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. The rapper was previously signed to Atlantic Records but had decided to go independent recently. He just released a new song on Sept. 2 titled “Luv Me Again.”
Rock spoke about prior robbery attempts in Los Angeles during a Sept. 2 episode of the podcast Off the Record with DJ Akademiks. “Where I’m from, we like sneaky criminals,” Rock said. “In L.A. … they bold.” Rock and Akademiks spoke about how robberies targeting rappers seemed to be becoming more common.
“I never got robbed, ever in my life,” Rock said. “I ain’t gonna say never because I don’t like saying never. I’m not superstitious, but I haven’t been robbed.”
“That’s why I feel like L.A.’s spooky, man,” Akademiks said. “It’s just so bold. I’m seeing mad videos, like they don’t even do it at night. Like night maybe, but broad daylight, that’s when they really do it.”
Rock said that after his oldest brother was killed, he became more conscious of how suddenly a situation could turn become fatal.
“It’s just been something in me that just let me know, like this s— real life,” Rock said. “I done seen people die. I done been around people that died…. Anybody can die.”
PnB is survived by his two daughters who are nine and two years old and his girlfriend Stephanie Sibounheuang.
Take a look at how fans and celebrities are paying tribute to Pnb Rock: