Snootie Wild, a Memphis rapper known for his song “Yayo,” died from injuries after he was shot Friday in Houston, according to his verified social media accounts and his fiancee. He was 36.
Wild, whose real name was LePreston Porter, is the second Memphis rapper to die from gunshot wounds. Young Dolph, whose real name is Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was gunned down at a bakery in South Memphis last November, WHBQ-TV reported.
“It was completely tragic,” his manager and fiancée, Krystal Meredith, told the Houston Chronicle. “Snootie was a rapper but he was also a great individual. He was a loving father … and we don’t understand how this could have happened or why it happened. We want justice in his killing.”
Porter had five children, Meredith told the newspaper.
According to the Houston Police Department, officers arrived at the scene of the shooting at about 2 a.m. CST after responding to their Shotspotter Program, KTRK-TV reported.
Porter was found lying in a ditch next to his SUV with a gunshot wound to his neck, KPRC-TV reported.
>> Rapper Young Dolph killed in shooting in Memphis
Authorities said Porter received CPR at the scene and was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where he later died, according to KTRK.
Investigators obtained surveillance footage from a neighbor that showed what appeared to be Porter’s vehicle accidentally backing into a ditch, HPD Lt. Ronnie Willkens said during a news conference. The suspect vehicle pulled up, and all three occupants -- two men and a woman — got out of the car and started talking to Porter, he said.
One gunshot went off, and the suspects fled, the Chronicle reported. They briefly returned to the scene before they left again, Willkens told reporters.
Porter lived in Houston but was tied to Memphis’ hip-hop scene, according to the Chronicle. Born and raised in North Memphis, Porter signed with Yo Gotti’s CMG label in 2013. His 2014 hit, “Yayo,” was a Top 30 R&B and Top 20 Billboard charting single.
“He had major plans on releasing new music,” Meredith told the Chronicle. “He was very active in the industry, and they literally just cut it short. But overall he was the glue for his family and friends.”
No arrests have been made, police said.
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