Man shot during Lil Baby concert in Memphis: What to know
MEMPHIS — A man is in critical condition after being shot during a concert headlined by rapper Lil Baby Thursday night in Tennessee, police said.
The shooting took place at FedExForum in Memphis, the Memphis Police Department posted on social media just before 11:15 p.m.
The arena is located downtown along the southern city's popular Beale Street, an entertainment district known historically known for blues music that runs east along the Mississippi River.
On Friday morning a motive in the shooting was not immediately known.
Here's what we know so far:
When did the shooting take place?
Officers responded at 10:23 p.m. to a report of a shooting and located a male shooting victim inside the arena.
First responders transported the victim to a hospital. As of Friday morning, the victim's condition was not known and no other injuries had been reported by police.
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Who was on stage during the shooting?
Lil Baby was on stage during the shooting. The 28-year-old Grammy-nominated rapper was rushed off during the middle of his song "Frozen" about 10:20 p.m.
FedExForum security rushed into the pit and appeared to be treating someone on the other side of the stage.
“I heard a pop,” concert attendee Clarissa Johnson told local TV station WREG. “I’m not sure what happened but I had a suite, so I told all my crew, ‘get down.’ So we evacuated... I’m still not sure what happened.”
About 10:25 p.m., people were instructed to evacuate the arena.
USA TODAY has reached out to Lil Baby's rep for comment.
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Has anyone been arrested yet?
The identity of the shooter was unknown, Memphis police Public Information Officer Sgt. Louis Brownlee told the Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Brownlee also said it was not immediately known if the shooter and victim knew each other, how many times the victim was shot and how many shots were fired.
Police said they are investigating how the weapon used in the shooting got inside FedExForum. Those attending concerts at the venue go through a metal detector before being allowed entry.
FedExForum issued the following statement: "A person was shot tonight at FedExForum during the Lil Baby concert. The incident is under investigation and we are fully cooperating with the Memphis Police Department."
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Who is Lil Baby?
The Atlanta-based rapper is best know for the songs "Yes Indeed," "Drip Too Hard" and "California Breeze. He is also known for his 2018 mixtape "Street Gossip" featuring Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane and Offset.
Last year he became the subject of a music documentary "Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby".
Before becoming famous, Lil Baby, born Dominique Jones, served a two-year prison sentence on drug and weapons charges. After he was released in 2016, fellow rapper Young Thug encouraged Lil Baby to dive into music.
Since then, the rapper has climbed the Billboard charts, and also been featured in songs with Drake and Kanye West, often using the stage to address police brutality across the nation.
This story is developing.
Contributing: Elise Brisco, USA TODAY
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior correspondent for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund. Jordan Green covers trending business news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email[email protected] or on X@_green_jordan_
