ACCORDING TO REPORTS, THE RAPPER IS IN THE HOSPITAL WITH MANY G*NSHOT WOUNDS
Lil Tjay was sh*t multiple times during a botched robbery attempt early Wednesday morning, according to investigators (June 23). According to a press release from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, the 21-year-old New York MC (born Tione Jayden Merritt) was struck many times on a retail promenade in Edgewater, N.J., in what authorities described as an attempted robbery of the rapper and two of his pals.
"On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, just after midnight, the Edgewater Police Department received several 911 calls reporting sh*ts fired in the neighborhood of 14 The Promenade in Edgewater, NJ," according to the announcement. "When authorities arrived, they discovered Tione 'Lil TJay' Merritt, 21, with numerous g*nsh*t wounds, and Antoine Boyd, 21, with a single g*nsh*t wound."
Mohamed Konate, 27, of New York, was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree attempted murder, three counts of first-degree armed robbery, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and certain second-degree persons not to possess a firearm, and fourth-degree aggravated assault. Konate is accused of firing at Tjay and his pals Jeffrey Valdez, 24, and Boyd, 22, all of whom were hurt in the incident. Valdez and Boyd were detained after the incident on suspicion of second-degree unauthorized firearm possession and held at the Bergen County Jail.
Konate was apprehended by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and the NYPD and is currently held in New Jersey awaiting extradition. Tjay reportedly said in a since-deleted Instagram Story on Tuesday night, "Just because you've been around a person doesn't make you entitled to the fruits of that person's labor." Envy is at an all-time high, so be careful, Otchea." At press time, the extent of Lil Tjay's injuries remained unknown, and a publicist told Billboard that no other information regarding his health was available. Tjay's "In My Head" debuted at No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April, falling sh*rt of surpassing his previous chart peak of No. 3 with 6LACK's "Calling My Phone."