Update: Arrest Made In Shooting Of Rapper ‘Young Dolph’

A man was arrested Wednesday after rapper Young Dolph was shot and critically wounded outside a landmark Hollywood hotel and detectives are investigating whether he was targeted as part of a hip-hop rivalry.

null – Young Dolph
From the cover of the album “Bulletproof.”

The 32-year-old rapper from Memphis, Tennessee, whose real name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was confronted by three men outside the Loews Hollywood hotel Tuesday afternoon. A fight broke out and after Dolph fell to the ground one of the men pulled out a gun and shot him, leaving him critically injured, police said.

Corey McClendon, 43, was detained near the scene and then arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, said Officer Irma Mota, a Los Angeles police spokeswoman. Police were still looking for at least two other suspects.

Dolph was “targeted because of who he is and some kind of beef that’s ongoing,” Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck told KABC-TV on Wednesday. “I think this was something he brought with him from across the United States.”

Yo Gotti, another Memphis rapper, has a long-running feud with Dolph. His name hasn’t surfaced in connection with Tuesday’s shooting, though he and McClendon were implicated in a prior shooting. Dolph has said the feud started in 2014 after Gotti tried to get him to sign a record deal. Since then, the two have taken jabs at each other in albums and on social media.

Gotti, whose real name is Mario Mims, and McClendon were arrested on aggravated riot charges in 2010 after five men were shot in a parking lot of a Memphis nightclub.

Sheriff’s officials said at the time that Gotti had been involved in an argument with another rapper before the shooting. The charges were later dropped for a lack of witnesses, prosecutors said.

This is the second shooting this year involving Dolph. He escaped injury in February after his SUV was hit with a barrage of bullets in Charlotte, North Carolina. Investigators recovered more than 100 shell casings that had been fired from various guns at several homes and vehicles.

The rapper later said he had custom bulletproof panels on the SUV.  He released an album in April titled Bulletproof that referenced the shooting.  

Rapper Shot Outside Of Landmark Hollywood Hotel – Associated Press (posted Sept. 27 at 7 a.m. PDT)

A Tennessee rapper was shot and critically wounded outside of a landmark Hollywood hotel Tuesday, and investigators are looking into whether he was targeted as part of a hip-hop rivalry more than six months after surviving a hail of gunfire shot at his SUV in North Carolina, law enforcement officials said.

The Memphis rapper, known as Young Dolph, 32, was shot in an altercation with three men outside Loews Hollywood hotel, near the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, Los Angeles police Det. Meghan Aguilar said.

Young Dolph, whose real name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was confronted by the men outside, leading to a physical fight, Aguilar said. One of the men pulled out a gun and shot Young Dolph, who was left critically injured, according to Aguilar.

Detectives are investigating whether the shooting is connected to a rivalry with another hip-hop artist, a law enforcement official said.

The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Police had initially reported that a gold Cadillac Escalade was seen fleeing the scene, but the car was later found abandoned at a nearby gas station. One person had been detained after the shooting and police were still looking for at least two other suspects Tuesday night, authorities said.

Young Dolph had escaped injury in February after his SUV was barraged with bullets in Charlotte, North Carolina. Investigators later recovered more than 100 shell casings that had been fired from various guns at several homes and vehicles, including Young Dolph’s SUV. The rapper later said he had custom bulletproof panels in the SUV.

Three people were arrested in May in connection with that shooting.