Bronx-born rapper Lil Tjay shot in N.J., Manhattan man charged

Bronx native Lil Tjay was shot in New Jersey early Wednesday morning, requiring emergency surgery.

Mohamed Konate, a 27-year-old Manhattan man, was arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder for opening fire on Lil Tjay and two of his friends, the Bergen County prosecutor announced.

Lil Tjay, whose legal name is Tione Merritt, was out of surgery by Wednesday afternoon, TMZ reported. One of his friends, Antoine Boyd, was also hospitalized and released. The other friend, Jeffrey Valdez, was not shot.

Lil Tjay, Boyd and Valdez were walking near 14 The Promenade in Edgewater when Konate started shooting and tried to rob the three young men, police said.

Officers responded at 12:08 a.m. to the shooting. They said Lil Tjay, 21, was shot multiple times and Boyd, 22, was shot once.

Konate was charged with three counts of first-degree attempted murder, three counts of first-degree armed robbery and several gun counts.

Police also charged Boyd and Valdez with unlawful possession of a weapon. They were jailed in Bergen County; Boyd was taken into custody after he was released from the hospital.

Lil Tjay was not charged with any crimes. The rising star released his debut album, “True 2 Myself,” in 2019. The project, which features collaborations with rappers Lil Wayne and Lil Baby, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart.