At the top of the year, an aspiring rapper named Charles Quentin McCormick Jr. who went by the name "Lilbuck," was gunned down in Florida. The 23-year-old's murder was actually witnessed by nearby off-duty police officers who watched as two men shot and killed McCormick in a drive-by in a Jacksonville parking lot. The officer gave chase to the suspects before the shooters crashed their vehicle and fled on foot. "They then committed a home invasion a few blocks away, changed clothes, held the homeowner hostage, then were picked up in a red or orange Dodge Charger or Challenger," the Florida Times-Union reported.
Two people have now been arrested: 20-year-old on Hakeem Robinson who goes by the rap moniker "KSOO" and his father, 49-year-old Abdul Robinson. Hakeem has been charged with second-degree murder while his father was hit with charges relating to being an accessory after the fact for reportedly driving the getaway vehicle. KSOO previously stirred up controversy after releasing an album with cover art that featureed photos of four people who had been killed in the city of Jacksonville.
It's unclear what the motivation behind the shooting was, but some reports have suggested that KSOO and Lilbuck held some sort of rivalry. However, that hasn't been substatiated by authorities at the time of this publication.