Rapper Pop Smoke Reportedly Killed During Home Invasion In LA

Rapper Pop Smoke has died at the age of 20 following an alleged home invasion and shooting at a private residence in Hollywood Hills, California, multiple outlets report.

Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at around 4:29 a.m. Wednesday morning on the 2000 block of Hercules Drive, a spokesperson for the department told Oxygen.com. There were reports of men with guns at the residence, and when police arrived, they found a black man in his 20s suffering from gunshot wounds, police said. The Los Angeles Fire Department transported the victim to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A spokesperson for the LAPD was unable to confirm the identity of the victim, per policy, but multiple outlets, including Rolling Stone, are reporting that rapper Pop Smoke, born Bashar Jackson, was the victim of the shooting. Jackson was staying at the home that the gunmen broke into, according to Rolling Stone.

No arrests have been made in connection to the shooting at this time, police told Oxygen.com.

Rapper Pop Smoke attend the Off-White Menswear Fall/Winter 2020-2021 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 15, 2020 in Paris, France. Photo: Getty Images

Four men wearing hoodies and masks were shown on surveillance footage forcing their way into the house where Jackson was staying, TMZ reports, citing anonymous law enforcement sources. Those sources report that there was a party taking place at the home prior to the break-in and shooting.

The location of the shooting is one of several homes owned by “The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills” star Teddi Mellencamp and her husband, Edwin Arroyave, TMZ reported. Mellencamp seemingly addressed the tragedy in an Instagram post on Wednesday, posting a photo of a red heart against a black background.

“Early this am we were informed by a 3rd party leasing and management company overseeing a rental home we own in Los Angeles that a shooting had taken place at the property,” the caption reads. “Foremost, we would like to extend our prayers and condolences to the family and loved ones affected by this tragic loss of life. We aren’t aware of any of the details beyond what we’ve been told or seen reported on the news and at this time we would like to refrain from commenting further as we wish for the focus to remain on the law enforcement officers who are diligently doing their jobs.”

During his music career, Jackson worked with a number of well-known artists, including Travis Scott and Nicki Minaj. Celebrities flocked to social media on Wednesday to react to news of the rapper’s death, with Minaj writing on Instagram, “The Bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest In Peace, Pop.”

Days before his death, Jackson's latest mix-tape, “Meet the Woo 2,” debuted among the top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

TMZ reports that on the day of the shooting, Jackson had shared video of gift bags he received, one of which revealed the address to the home where he was staying.