Who killed Chii Wvttz? 18-year-old NYC rapper latest to be GUNNED DOWN in Brooklyn
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Gun violence claimed yet another victim in Bedford-Stuyvesant on February 6, 2022. According to reports, 18-year-old rapper Jayquan McKenley, also known as Chii Wvttz, was fatally shot while sitting in a car in Brooklyn.
The tragic death of McKenley comes just days after Tdott Woo was shot and killed outside his home in Brooklyn. In May 2021, another Brooklyn native, Supa Gates was shot multiple times and succumbed to his injuries weeks later. In August, movie producer Joseph Bryan, a friend of rapper Ice-T, was killed while he too was sitting in his car in Long Island. Most of these cases remain unsolved to date, as the city is witnessing a surge in gun violence and homicides.
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Particularly concerning is the fact that most victims are African-American as violence plagues minority communities more. So far, neither New York City Mayor Eric Adams nor NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell has managed to combat the violence or even announce specific steps to target communities ravaged by violence.
Who killed Chii Wvttz?
As with the killing of Tdott Woo, a suspect is yet to be named in McKenley's shooting. Police have confirmed that they are investigating, but have so far not shared any updates apart from the fact that he was sitting in a car at Greene and Lewis Avenues when he was shot. NY Daily News reported that McKenley was in the car with a girlfriend and other members of his group when "a car rolled up on them" and someone opened fire.
The car used in the shooting has also not been identified. Sources told the Daily News that the shooting could be linked to a previous one in The Bronx in August 2021, where no one was injured or killed. McKenley lives in The Bronx but traveled to Bedford-Stuyvesant to record music at a studio he rented. On Sunday (February 6), he left the studio at 12:15 am and was shot minutes later in the chest. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"Jayquan was a good kid. He had a very kind heart and he had a passion for rapping," one of his relatives lamented. She added, "He’s a good kid, he comes from a good family." It's unclear if McKenley was involved in drugs or guns, like other rappers. But his father, Perry Williams has blamed drill music itself. "Our hip-hop is no long hip-hop anymore," he told Fox5, adding, "The drill is the devil’s music." That conclusion was shared by the NYPD, with Deputy Chief Joseph Gulotta adding, "The drill rap definitely inflames the situation."
Officials believe the dissing and taunting lyrics of drill rap "fuel violence", especially since many rappers appear to be members of gangs. In fact, the origins of drill music in Chicago are also closely tied to gangs there. It was made popular in New York by the late Pop Smoke, who was also shot and killed in February 2020.