Rapper Young Dolph dies at 36 in Memphis shooting

Rapper Young Dolph was killed in a shooting near a well-known bakery in Memphis on Wednesday, his lawyer confirmed. He was 36.

Young Dolph, whose name is Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr., was in Memphis for his annual Thanksgiving giveaway, attorney Scott Hall told NBC News. He was on his way to the event to hand out turkeys when he stopped at the bakery and was fatally shot, Hall said.

No further details are available with regard to suspects as this is an open investigation, according to Hall.

Memphis police said officers responded to a shooting on Wednesday at 2370 Airways. “One male victim was located and was pronounced dead,” police said.

The address of the shooting given by police is also the location of Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies.

Amid news reports the hometown rapper was fatally killed on Wednesday afternoon, rappers and influencers alike took to Twitter to express their grief and shock.

“God bless Dolph,” Chance the Rapper tweeted. “Real independent Memphis rapper born in chicago. loved by millions of ppl. Always showed love everytime I seen him this is tragic God bless his family man.”

Rapper Gucci Mane said: “R.I.P. to my friend Dolph this broke my heart.”

“Damn man, me and Dolph used to be next door neighbors. Smh. RIP DOLPH,” rapper Lil Yachty said.

DJ Akademiks tweeted footage of a local newscast and said the scene of the shooting was flooded with fans and police.

The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis reported Thornton was born in Chicago but moved to Memphis as an infant.

He launched his career with a series of mixtapes beginning in 2008, moving up the hip-hop ranks and Billboard charts in 2016 with Gold-certified hits like “100 Shots” while his 2020 album “Rich Slave” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

The Commercial Appeal also said Wednesday’s shooting was not his first experience with gun violence.

Thornton had been the victim of two other shootings in 2017.

In February of 2017, in Charlotte, North Carolina, a suspect fired more than 100 rounds at a heavily armored SUV that Thornton would later credit with saving his life. 

Later in 2017, Thornton was critically injured after a suspect shot him multiple times outside of a Hollywood hotel in Los Angeles. He made a full recovery, the newspaper reported.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.