Lil TJay was one of two people shot in New Jersey Wednesday morning, just weeks after declaring it would be “a good summer.”
The Bronx-born rapper was hit several times on The Promenade in Edgewater. The Bergen County Attorney’s Office said police responded to reports of shots fired at the scene shortly after midnight.
When they arrived, they discovered Lil TJay, 21, whose real name is Tione Marriot, with multiple gunshot wounds.
Antoine Boyd, 22, was also found with a single gunshot wound, officials said.
Both were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Officials did not disclose his condition, but TMZ reported that Lil TJay underwent emergency surgery.
Officials said the shooting happened after Mohamed Konate tried to rob Lil TJay, Boyd and a third person with whom the rapper, Jeffrey Valdez, 24, was staying. Both Valdez and Boyd each had an illegal weapon at the time.
Konate was later arrested Wednesday by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the New York City Police Department. His extradition to New Jersey is currently pending, officials said.
He is charged with three counts of attempted murder, three counts of armed robbery, two counts of possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes and assault with aggravated fourth-degree assault.
Lil Tjay rose to fame on Soundcloud in 2018 and has garnered more than 7 million followers on Instagram.WireImage
Boyd and Valdez were charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and were being held at the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack pending an initial hearing.
Lil Tjay is a Bronx-born rapper with over 7 million followers on Instagram. He rose to fame on Soundcloud and was signed to Columbia Records in 2018. His debut album, “True 2 Myself” reached number 5 on the US Billboard 200.
In an Instagram post just two weeks before he was shot, the rapper posted a video of himself dancing shirtless with a large string with the text “It will be a good summer.”
He was scheduled to perform at the American Dream Mall’s Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park on July 22, as well as a host of music festivals in Europe, according to SeatGeek.com and tour dates posted on the rapper’s website.
Fellow artists and athletes offered their prayers for the injured rapper.
“Pray for my little brother lil Tjay,” tweeted hip-hop star French Montana.
The “Run It Up” rapper was arrested in Brooklyn in 2020 after police found an arsenal of weapons in a Cadillac Escalade where he was going after being arrested.
He was tried on New Year’s Eve on charges of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of stolen property and illegal possession of marijuana. He was given a $ 50,000 bond issued by the famous Ira Judelson bail.