Nipsey Hussle’s Brother Remembers Trying To Save His Life: ‘I Just Wish I Would’ve Been There’

Minutes after Nipsey Hussle was shot multiple times on Sunday afternoon, his brother rushed to the scene and tried to save his life.

Hussle, born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was gunned down outside of his Marathon Clothing store in south Los Angeles. Surveillance footage shows a suspect, later identified by police as 29-year-old Eric Holder Jr., walk up to a group of men that included Hussle and open fire before fleeing the scene. Now, days after the tragic shooting, Nipsey Hussle’s older brother Samiel Asghedom has opened up about his final moments.

Asghedom arrived minutes after Hussle was shot, getting there before the paramedics and finding his brother lying on the ground on his back with a bullet hole in his leg, bleeding but still breathing, the Los Angeles Times reports. Following the instructions of a 911 operator, he performed CPR until paramedics arrived; Asghedom only saw that his brother had been shot in the back of the head when EMTs loaded Hussle onto a stretcher.

Hussle died at the age of 33, leaving behind two children and longtime girlfriend, actress Lauren London.

Police, who say the shooting was the result of a personal dispute, arrested Holder on Tuesday. He has since been charged with murder and attempted murder (there were two other gunshot victims at the scene who survivied), and has entered a not guilty plea, according to the Associated Press. He is currently being held on $5 million bail, the outlet reports.

Asghedom told the Times that his brother’s death felt like an “execution.”

“It doesn’t make sense that somebody from the area, that just snuck up, and just talked to him and shook his hand minutes before,” Asghedom said. “It’s mind-boggling.”

Hussle did not have any security with him that day; he rarely did, Asghedom said, “That’s why the people loved him.” There was no one armed who could defend Hussle during the attack because he often hired felons, who aren’t legally allowed to carry firearms, to work in his store.

“Because of that, the man was able to shoot my brother, start running, realize nobody out there had a gun, stop, turn back around, walk up, shoot my brother two more times, start to run, realize nobody had a gun, nobody was responding, ran back up and shot my brother three more times, shoot him in the head and kicked him in the head and then ran off,” Asghedom said.

“If somebody would’ve been there — if I would’ve been there — I would’ve shot back,” he continued. “I just wish I would’ve been there.”

Hussle was an entrepreneur and a leader in the Los Angeles community who was known for his charitable contributions to the area. He left behind a legacy that his brother told the Times he’s committed to upholding.

“He made something work in an area that was run-down, that people were scared to come to, and he turned it into a landmark,” he said. “All races. Different states. Many countries. They all come to Crenshaw and Slauson. He was truly the people’s champ.”