Chicago rapper BloodHound Q50 has died at 22 after a deadly early-morning shooting at a gas station in the city’s Fuller Park neighborhood.
Q50, whose real name was Mikquale T. Cooper, was behind the wheel of a white Tesla parked at a BP gas station around 4 a.m. Sunday when he was shot, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has since determined that Cooper’s official cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, with the manner of death ruled a homicide, according to TMZ.
Police say the shooting involved six masked gunmen who allegedly arrived in two vehicles.
According to the report, a black Infiniti carrying two masked individuals pulled alongside Q50’s Tesla shortly after he arrived. A silver Honda Accord carrying four other people also reportedly pulled into another pump.
Q50 and a 29-year-old female passenger went inside the gas station. One of the masked individuals allegedly went to the Honda and retrieved objects from inside.
The woman later returned to the Tesla and drove it toward the store entrance. She got out and allowed Q50 to take the driver’s seat.
That was when authorities say the suspects approached.
Two masked gunmen allegedly came from the Infiniti while four others came from the Honda. The group opened fire on the Tesla, striking Q50 in the chest and shoulder.
Chicago Fire Department personnel responded to the scene, but Q50 was pronounced dead at approximately 4:35 a.m.
The gunmen allegedly fled in the two vehicles. Police said the gunfire also damaged nearby buildings and other vehicles.
As of the latest report, no arrests had been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Q50’s death comes at just 22 years old, cutting short the life and career of a Chicago rapper whose name was emerging in the city’s hip-hop scene.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation, and authorities have not publicly identified a motive or suspects.
Q50’s death is now officially being investigated as a homicide.
He was 22.
