American rapper Young Scooter was tragically shot and killed on his 39th birthday on Friday in a freak accident while attempting to flee a confrontation with police.
The rapper, whose real name was Kenneth Edward Bailey, was pronounced dead at Grady Marcus Trauma Center in Atlanta after suffering a leg injury while jumping a fence, according to TMZ.
The incident began when police responded to reports of gunshots and a woman being dragged back into a home in the southeastern part of the city, 11 Alive reported, citing Atlanta Police Department Lt. Andrew Smith. When officers arrived, a man opened the door and quickly slammed it shut. Two men fled from the back of the house upon seeing the police establish a perimeter.
One of the men returned inside the house, while the other jumped two fences in an attempt to escape. Police located him on the other side of the fence, where they found he had sustained a leg injury. Smith confirmed that the rapper later died at the hospital and clarified that Bailey was not fatally shot by officers, but injured while fleeing.
Bailey’s cause of death is still under investigation by the Atlanta Medical Examiner’s Office, 11 Alive reported.
Born in South Carolina, Bailey moved to Atlanta with his family at the age of 9. He gained attention in 2012 with his first regional hit, “Colombia,” and signed with fellow ATL rapper Future’s Freebanz record label. He later collaborated with Future, Juicy J, and Young Thug on the track “DI$Function” and appeared on “Guwop” in 2016 alongside Quavo and Offset of Migos. His 2018 collaboration with Future and Juice WRLD, “Jet Lag,” reached No. 72 on Billboard’s Top 100 Songs chart.