Well-known New York rapper Tione Jayden Merritt, better known as Lil Tjay, was the unfortunate victim of a brutal shooting in the New Jersey area. Occurring on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the young artist was reportedly attempting to get a meal from a local Chipotle location as he was simply going about his regular day. A Fox 5 New York reporter claimed, “The two victims were shot at an Exxon gas station and a Chipotle, with the victim at the Exxon station sustaining one gunshot wound and the victim at the Chipotle sustaining multiple… Police responded to a 911 call at 12:08 a.m., for the Chipotle victim.”
TJay was shot multiple times and was immediately rushed into emergency surgery which was gratefully a success. However, even though reports claim that the 21-year-old rapper is responding efficiently and well since his surgery, medical officials have recently released official information that states how Lil TJay is still unconscious. Other rappers such as Casanova have made their heartfelt condolences public – “Praying for you from my jail cell lil bro… You are going to be alright, tough times don’t last long, only tough people do,” Casanova wrote to his Instagram account.
Luckily, an official suspect was arrested just a day after the incident was made public to the world. Released on behalf of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Offices, “Mohamed Konate was arrested on an attempted robbery and three attempted-murder charges, as well as plenty more. TJay’s last social media post was about telling others to stay safe when he most definitely should have himself. “PSA,” TJay wrote. “Just because you have been around a person does not make you entitled to the fruits of that person’s labor… Envy is at an all-time high, be safe out here.”