The men who were wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of Memphis rapper, Young Dolph, have been arrested by federal and local authorities and are currently in custody, according to FOX13 Memphis.
The 36-year-old rapper was survived by two children and his partner, Mia Jaye.
Young Dolph, whose real name is Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr., was fatally shot on November 17, 2021, at Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis. A week earlier, the rapper was seen on their Instagram showing love to the local shop.
According to FOX13 Memphis, the two suspects who were arrested are 23-year-old Justin “Straight Drop” Johnson and 32-year-old Cornelius Smith. The former was arrested in Indiana on Tuesday, Jan. 11. The latter was arrested on Dec. 9 in Southaven, Tennessee, on an auto-theft warrant for the Mercedes Benz that was used by the two suspects in the shooting.
From FOX13 Memphis:
According to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office, the second suspected gunman, Cornelius Smith, was also arrested and booked into Shelby County Jail, charged with first-degree murder for the rapper’s death.
Smith is also charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting at Young Dolph’s brother, who was with him inside Makeda’s Cookies at the time of the shooting.
Johnson’s arrest comes less than a week after the Marshals identified him as one of the people responsible for the death of Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Robert Thornton Jr.
A $15,000 reward for information leading to Johnson’s arrest was announced by the U.S. Marshals Service, who believe that Johnson was one of two people who opened fire on the famous rapper on Nov. 17, 2021, when he was inside of Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies on Airways Blvd.
Before Johnson was captured, he was seen on social media saying that he would turn himself in, according to FOX13 Memphis.
He never did.
Johnson, who raps under the name “Straight Drop, is charged with first-degree murder and theft of property between $10,000 and $60,000 and also has an outstanding warrant for a violation of federal release that is related to a weapons conviction. Smith is charged with first-degree, attempted first-degree murder, unlawfully carrying or possessing a weapon, employment of a firearm with intent to commit a felony and theft of property between $10,000 and $60,000, per the story from FOX13 Memphis.
Damn, that’s a lot of charges.
More from FOX13 Memphis:
Weirich’s office said that the Mercedes was stolen in a carjacking on Nov. 10 at a gas station on Kirby Rd. Working on information from a tipster who said the car was used in the murder of Young Dolph, police found the car on Nov. 20 in the 1100 block of Bradley St. in Orange Mound, three days after the world-renowned artist was gunned down.
Smith is currently being held without bond.
Young Dolph was the cousin of fellow Memphis rapper Key Glock.
He was scheduled to pass out turkeys at a local church the Friday after his murder.
Shame he wasn’t able to.