|
Jimmy Carlton Winfrey, 25, fired at the two tour buses last
month in order to gain street credibility, according to local
media reports, which identified Winfrey as a member of the
Bloods gang.
About a dozen people, including music executives, were riding
the buses after the rapper's April 26 performance at an Atlanta
nightclub. Winfrey fired from a moving vehicle on a metropolitan
Atlanta highway, police said. No one was injured.
Cobb County Police charged Winfrey with felony counts of
aggravated assault, terroristic acts, gang activity, felony
possession of a firearm, and criminal damage to property.
Officer Alicia Chilton, a spokeswoman for Cobb police, said the
arrest warrant was sealed and will not be made public. The
charges against Winfrey were released on Thursday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, citing the warrant, reported
that the Winfrey's motive was "to gain status in his criminal
organization by committing a high profile shooting of a rival
rap artist" and that he has "associated himself with known blood
gang members in the Atlanta area.”
Wayne won Grammy awards in 2008 for best rap album, best rap
song, and best rap solo performance and was part of the
award-winning best rap group performance.
The New Orleans native has seen run-ins with the law on weapons
and drug charges and went to prison in New York in a gun case.
In March, a report of a shooting at a Miami Beach home belonging
to Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was declared a hoax by
police.
It was not clear whether Winfrey was taken into custody. A
representative for Wayne could not immediately be reached for
comment.
(Editing by Letitia Stein and Lisa Lambert)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|
