Rapper Young Dolph was shot and killed in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee yesterday (November 17th). He was 36. According to Fox 13 Memphis, law enforcement confirmed that Dolph, born Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr. was fatally shot at Makeda's Butter Cookies shop. Maurice Hill, who owns Makeda's, said that the rapper walked in to buy cookies for his mom at aroun 1:00 pm when someone drove up and shot him. DJ Akademiks reported that Dolph tried to shoot back, however, he eventually succumbed to his injuries.
The Memphis Police Department issued a statement, saying, “This shooting is another example of the senseless gun violence we are experiencing locally and nationwide. Our hearts go out to the Thornton family and all who are affected by this horrific act of violence.”
Young Dolph's friend and attorney Scott Hall said that he was in town for his annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, yesterday afternoon but he resided in Atlanta.
BLACK YOUNGSTA'S HOME AND YO GOTTI'S RESTAURANT WERE NOT TARGETED
Meanwhile, rumors started circulating that retaliation started happening in Memphis, with reports that Blac Youngsta's grandmother's home being shot at and that Yo Gotti's restaurant Prive was also shot up, but according to TMZ, those rumors weren't true. As a precaution, police parked outside of Gotti's establishment as a precaution and later temporarily shut down the restaurant.
The beef between Dolph and Gotti has been well documented over the years. According to XXL, the beef seemingly began back in 2014 when Dolph rejected a record deal offer from Gotti. Since then, the two have gone back and forth on social media, interviews and in their music. One of Gotti’s associates was even arrested in connection to Dolph’s 2017 shooting in Hollywood, but was released due to a lack of evidence.
According to TMZ, earlier that same year, Dolph's SUV was shot at over 100 times while he was in Charlotte, NC.
MEMPHIS POLICE CHIEF URGES PEOPLE TO STAY HOME
Meanwhile, Memphis Councilman J.B. Smiley urged officials to impose a curfew but instead, the police chief urged the people of Memphis to stay home if they don't have to go out and to stay calm while the police investigates Dolph's murder.
Dolph released his debut album King of Memphis in 2016. His most recent project, Dum and Dummer 2, a collaborative project with Key Glock, dropped in March. He released seven albums in total.
Dolph was also known to give back to his community. In addition to his turkey drive, Dolph also donated money to his former high school Hamilton High School.
Dolph leaves behind a son and a daughter, his longtime girlfriend Mia Jaye and a host of family and friends.