Atlanta police have charged a 22-year-old with murder in the fatal shooting of Chicago rapper King Von outside a downtown nightclub Friday morning.
King Von, whose real name was Dayvon Bennett, was among six people shot when a fight outside the Monaco Hookah Lounge erupted in gunfire, police said. He was 26.
On Saturday, investigators said they secured warrants charging Timothy Leeks with murder in Bennett’s death.
“Mr. Leeks is in police custody at Grady Hospital where he is undergoing treatment for a gunshot wound,” Atlanta police spokeswoman Marla Jean Rooker told AJC.com. “The homicide of Bennett is closed with this arrest.”
Police initially said Bennett was among three people killed in the shooting, but investigators clarified Saturday that two people were killed while a third remains in critical condition.
Authorities identified the second person killed as 34-year-old Mark Blakely of Chicago. The third victim’s name wasn’t released, and it’s still unclear who shot them.
The GBI is investigating the incident as an officer-involved shooting after Atlanta police working in the area attempted to intervene in the shootout.
Two of the officers were in uniform working off-duty security jobs at the hookah lounge, and a third was on-duty nearby, according to police. None of the officers were injured.
Authorities said Bennett was fatally wounded in the club’s parking lot prior to the officers’ involvement.
Surveillance footage posted to Twitter on Friday appears to show the shooting during a brawl outside the nightclub. In the video, a large group is seen leaving the club as punches are thrown. The group scatters after one man steps out from behind an SUV and begins firing, striking what appears to be at least two people. One of the victims, presumably Bennett, is then loaded into a car and driven away from the scene. (AJC)
