Mohamed Konate is charged with three counts of first-degree attempted murder, while two of the 'Calling My Phone' rapper's friends are arrested for unlawful possession of a weapon.
- Jun 23, 2022
AceShowbiz - Arrests have been made in connection to the shooting of Lil Tjay. Three men, including one who is believed to be the trigger man, have been taken into custody following the incident that left the Bronx emcee with life-threatening injuries.
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced Wednesday night, June 22 that Mohamed Konate of New York City is being held pending extradition to Bergen County. He has been charged with three counts of first-degree attempted murder. The 27-year-old also faces armed robbery and weapons charges.
Konate is accused of firing multiple shots at Tjay, whose real name is Tione Jayden Merritt, and his entourage during attempted robbery in Edgewater, New Jersey in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The "Calling My Phone" spitter was airlifted to Hackensack University Medical Center in critical condition, but was then described as stable after undergoing a surgery. A source told TMZ he is seemingly "doing better" now, but is still not out of the woods yet.
Antoine Boyd, 22, also of the Bronx, who was with Tjay, was shot in the back, but survived. He and another member of the entourage, 22-year-old Jeffrey Valdez, were also arrested for second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon. Both were being held in the Bergen County Jail pending first appearances in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
Tjay was found at the scene of the shooting outside the Chipolte restaurant, while Boyd made it to an Exxon station about a mile up River Road. Konate was arrested in New York City with an assistance by the NYPD.
After news broke of the shooting that injured Tjay, fellow rapper French Montana offered his prayers to Tjay by writing, "Pray for my lil bro lil Tjay." His ex-girlfriend Rubi Rose also tweeted, "Pray for tjay."
6ix9ine, on the other hand, trolled Tjay over the incident. Underneath DJ Akademiks' Instagram post about the news, the "GUMMO" rhymer left two laughing emojis, prompting other social media users to call him out.
