Lil Wayne has told the story of shooting himself at the age of 12 many times. In most of the retellings, the rapper is sure to credit the officers who showed up at the scene for saving his life 27 years ago. Now, one of those officers, Robert Hoobler, has passed away.
Hoobler was found dead on Friday in his house in Old Jefferson. He had been suffering from health problems which stemmed from a car accident that led to both of his legs being amputated. Hoobler always "took care of the public just as much as he took care of the cops," said David Lapene, a friend of Hoobler's from the force. Lapene also said that the story of Hoobler saving Lil Wayne's life is "one of the best stories that depicts Hoobler as a person."
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Back in 1994, Lil Wayne, then known by his given name Dwayne Carter Jr., was playing with a 9mm pistol in his mother's apartment. "My ass was tryin' to be hard," recalled Wayne in 2014. "Lookin' in the mirror, trippin' and it went off." The 12-year-old Wayne shot himself in the chest, and Hoobler was one of the first responders, even though he was off duty.
When he realized no ambulance was coming, Hoobler carried the future rapper into the police car of Kevin Balancier. He sat in the back seat with the critically wounded Wayne. Hoobler spoke to the child the entire way to the hospital, saying, "Stay awake, son. You're going to be fine. You'll see." In the end, they made it to the hospital in time to save Lil Wayne's life. From then on, the rapper referred to Hoobler as "Uncle Bob."
[via]