Rapper Phat Geez killed in North Philadelphia shooting, no arrests made yet, police say
A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper known as Phat Geez was shot and killed on Sunday, according to police.
Police responded to a report of a person with a gun in the Brewerytown area of North Philadelphia just after 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 17 and found Derrick Gant, Phat Geez's real name, lying in the street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was taken to an area hospital, and pronounced dead at 10:30 p.m., police said in a statement.
Rapper Meek Mill, a Philadelphia native, posted on social media about Gant's death, adding that "Philly is a terrible place for Black people to live...you see too much death!!!!"
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Gant had recently released a song called "No Gunzone," advocating for stopping gun violence in Philadelphia, his family told CBS News. Meek Mill also promoted the song on his social media.
CBS News also reported that multiple cartridge casings from a handgun were found at the scene and there is a video of the shooting where it appears "Gant had an interaction with a person or people inside a vehicle on Taney Street just before he was killed," but Philadelphia police told USA TODAY they could not confirm those details.
Police have not released a suspect description, and are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.