A suspect has been arrested after New York rapper and singer Lil Tjay was shot in Edgewater, New Jersey earlier this week.
Late Wednesday evening (June 22), Tjay – real name Tione Jayden Merritt – was shot multiple times, along with a friend, 22-year-old Antoine Boyd, at a local shopping plaza during an attempted armed robbery. Tjay underwent emergency surgery as a result, and according to TMZ, remains unconscious in the hospital.
The suspect, 27-year-old Mohamed Konate, has since been arrested by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and New York City Police Department, but has also been admitted to hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.
According to Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Konate allegedly attempted to commit armed robbery against Merritt and two friends as they were walking near The Promenade, a plaza in Edgewater. Merritt was shot multiple times, while Boyd was shot once.
Konate has been charged with three counts of first-degree attempted murder, three counts of first-degree armed robbery, and multiple weapons-related offences. Boyd and Jeffery Valdez, who were both with Merritt during the incident, were initially charged with unlawful possession of a weapon. Merritt has not been charged with any offences.
Merritt released ‘Destined 2 Win’, his second studio album, last year. At the time of the incident, he was readying the release of his new EP, ‘Strictly4MyFans’, which is slated to arrive sometime in 2022.