More On: Nipsey Hussle
A rapper's friend says that Nipsey Hussle tried to warn the man accused of killing him about 'snitching' rumors
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According to new testimony, Nipsey Hussle tried to warn his alleged killer about rumors going around the neighborhood that he was 'snitching' right before the beloved rapper was killed.
The conversation between Hussle and Eric Holder took place in the parking lot of the rapper’s Los Angeles store, Marathon Clothing, just 10 minutes before the deadly shooting at the same location on March 31, 2019, Hussle’s close friend, Herman Douglas, testified on Wednesday.
"Hussle said to him, 'I heard there was some paperwork floating around,'" Douglas said in court. “He said, ‘If you aint telling, you need to handle it. You just caught a criminal. Show us your papers!"
Douglas testified that he knew both men because they were all members of the Rollin' 60s Crips street gang in South Los Angeles. When Hussle told Holder about his worries, Holder didn't seem angry or upset, Douglas said.
In his opening statement, Deputy District Attorney John McKinney told jurors that respect is paramount in the gang culture, and being called a snitch or even suggesting such a rumor would be highly offensive to any gang member.
In his testimony, Douglas said he heard Holder tell Hussle that the rumors were “bullsh-t” and people had been “hatin’ on me.”
Holder, who wanted to be a rapper, even asked Hussle if he had heard his new music before shaking his hand and leaving the shopping center Hussle owned on Slauson Avenue.
Since all three men knew each other, Douglas said that when Holder approached him and Hussle that day, he didn't think it was strange.
But ten minutes later, Douglas, who had already gone back inside the clothing store, said he heard several gunshots and saw his beloved friend on the ground with several open gunshot wounds to his body.
Douglas said that he used his fingers to plug a bullet hole on Nipsey's lower right abdomen and another one on his upper left clavicle.
Douglas said, "There was a little blood on the back of his head." "He didn't say anything. He just tried to take a breath. He was still breathing when the ambulance arrived, and he tried to stand up.
Deputy Public Defender Aaron Jansen said, "This case is about the heat of passion," and Holder shot Hussle because Hussle had called Holder a snitch, which Jansen said was a reason Holder shot Hussle. But the lawyer for the accused said that the shooting was not planned.
During his testimony, Douglas, who was wearing a Marathon T-shirt with Hussle's face on it, often looked angry at Holder and called the defendant "a stupid cuh," which is a slang word for cousin. McKinney told Douglas to try to stay calm and call Holder by his name.
When asked if testifying would be considered "snitching," Douglas replied, "Me getting on the stand right now would be considered snitching."
When asked if he knew what would happen if he testified in this trial, Douglas replied, "I ain't worried. Perhaps in the 1980s. It's 2022. Change is needed."
Douglas said in court that he was no longer in a gang and that, even though Hussle still knew a lot of the people in his old gang, the rapper no longer did that kind of thing since he became famous.
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