HOLLYWOOD — The Los Angeles Police Department Thursday announced the arrests of three men and two male juveniles in connection with the Feb. 19 shooting death of Bashar Jackson, a New York-based rapper known as Pop Smoke.
Details of the arrests were not immediately released.
Jackson, 20, was found when officers went to 2033 Hercules Drive in the Hollywood Hills about 4 a.m. Feb. 19 in response to a 911 call. He died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
LAPD Capt. Steve Lurie said the 911 call came from someone on the East Coast who "stated a friend of theirs was being broken into by multiple suspects, and that one of them was armed with a handgun."
"When officers arrived there approximately six minutes later, they discovered a victim inside the house had been shot," Lurie said. "They called the fire department, who arrived and transported that victim to Cedars-Sinai, where he was pronounced dead."
The suspects were wearing masks and were last seen running from the home and possibly getting into a nearby vehicle.
Officers detained several people who were inside the house, according to Lurie, but "all of those folks were released. ... No one was arrested at the scene." He said various witness statements indicated that between two and six suspects were involved in the break-in.
Pop Smoke released an album in July 2019, and one of the songs, "Welcome to the Party," was considered by many the song of the summer. Nicki Minaj did a remix of the song a few months later.
The rapper also collaborated with Travis Scott on a song called "Gatti."
According to various media reports, the up-and-coming New York rapper posted photos earlier on Feb. 19 or late on Feb. 18 from a party at the home, even revealing the address. According to TMZ, one of the photos showed a person holding a large sum of money.
Police did not offer a motive for the shooting and an LAPD statement at the time did not indicate the shooting occurred during the commission of a home invasion robbery.
Property records indicate the home where the shooting took place is owned by Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave — who appears on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and is the daughter of musician John Mellencamp — and her husband, Edwin Arroyave.