LOS ANGELES – A 29-year-old man has been indicted in the killing of rapper Nipsey Hussle and wounding of two others in South Los Angeles in March, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.
Eric R. Holder Jr. was indicted by a grand jury for one count of murder, two counts each of attempted murder and assault with a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. The indictment, which was unsealed Tuesday, also includes allegations that Holder used a handgun and caused "great bodily injury and death."
Holder pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to return for a pretrial hearing on June 18.
Bail is set at $6.53 million. If convicted as charged, Holder faces a possible maximum sentence of life in state prison.
The 33-year-old artist and community leader was fatally shot March 31 while standing in front of his clothing store near the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. He died later that day from gunshot wounds to the head and torso, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
Police later arrested Holder as the suspect in Hussle's killing. Holder and Hussle allegedly had a discussion or argument in front of the store Sunday, and Holder returned a short time later and started shooting, according to police.
One of the men wounded in the shooting, Kerry Lathan, was released from the hospital late last month after taking a bullet in the back during the shooting. He was later arrested for a parole violation for being around the rapper, who was technically still a gang member.
Hussle, an Eritrean-American whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, was a father of two who was engaged to actress Lauren London. He had recently purchased the strip mall where The Marathon store is located and planned to redevelop it into a mixed-use commercial and residential complex.
Thousands of people lined the streets of Los Angeles last month for a procession to honor the slain musician.
The 25-mile procession route stretched from near the downtown area into South L.A. and past Hussle's store. It ended at the Angelus Funeral Home, where crowds of people swarmed the hearse to pay their respects.
The largest concentration of crowds were in front of the store, the site of his shooting….