Police search warrant records released earlier today provide a little more insight into what precipitated a shooting at the Chop Suey nightclub on Capitol Hill earlier this month, in which local MC Joseph Ryan (known as 29-E) was killed and two other men—Avery Turner (First Black Prez) and James Jones (Trama)—were injured.
Following the shooting, there were rumors in the hip hop community that the incident was retaliation for a robbery but, records say, Jones—the apparent target—told police the incident was the result of an ongoing dispute with another man, Roger Labranche, over a girl.
According to search warrant records, on the night of the shooting, Jones’ brother apparently overheard LaBranche tell another man, 18-year-old Carlos Bernardez to “do it quick before the police get here” and handed Bernardez a .45 handgun. Bernardez then allegedly knocked on Chop Suey’s back door, asked Jones and Turner “if the club was pop’n” and opened fire.
King County Prosecutors have filed assault and murder charges against Bernardez. Drug charges were filed against Labranche after, court documents say, police found a back pack filled with 45 grams of cocaine, nearly 300 ecstasy pills, 81 grams of marijuana, a handgun and $7,000 cash in his rented Pontiac Grand Prix, parked outside of Chop Suey on the night of the shooting. During a search of Labranche’s Everett apartment, police also found two empty gun cases, packages of marijuana and records “indicating possible drug sales.”
Bernardez has admitted to the shooting but told police that he did it because he was afraid Labranche would shoot him if he didn’t. According to search warrant records, police believe “there is no known motive for Bernardez to shoot Jones, or the other victims. The dispute between Jones and Labranche provides a motive for the shooting.”
Stupid people with guns.=Lives ruined.
let’s all do lots of drugs and listen to hip-hop and play with guns
love hurts, man
A guy hands you a gun outside the club and tells you to shoot at people inside. What do you do?
A) Knock on the side door, and when it’s opened, shoot inside.
B) Hand the gun back and tell the guy you want no part in it.
C) CALL THE FUCKING POLICE.
D) Point the gun at the guy, tell him to lay down on the ground unless he wants to die, then CALL THE FUCKING POLICE.
If it was about a girl, the two guys should have just dueled. No one has honor anymore.
If it was about a girl, they should have written a song about it.
Only problem is, 90% of these guys aren’t musicians, they’re untalented cretins with verbal diarrhea.
This makes the shooting even more retarded and juvenille. If it was a beef about a girl, and it was bad enough that you wanted to cause physical harm. He should have just been a man about it and had a fist fight or something, and at least squash the beef. He wouldn’t have ruined his fucking life, and wouldn’t have ended the lives of some innocent bystanders. He might get beat up, but he’d heal, and possible even get macho points, and maybe get laid.
Instead he ended up being an uber coward, he had to ask a friend to shoot this guy, because he couldn’t even do that himself. What a fucking pussy, I hope he becomes somebody’s prison bitch.
pop’n is blood lingo.