PnB Rock death: Instagram post may have led to killing, says LAPD Chief

The gunman who killed rapper PnB Rock in Los Angeles during a robbery may have been led to the location by an Instagram post, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday (13 September).

Moore said the attack occurred shortly after the rapper was tagged online as being at the Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles. Police are investigating whether that prompted the attack.

The 30-year-old Philadelphia rapper – real name Rakim Allen – was at the restaurant with his girlfriend on Monday (12 September), who posted a location-tagged photo in a since-deleted post on Instagram.

Per the Los Angeles Times, Moore said Rock: “was with his family — with his girlfriend or some kind of friend of his — and as they’re there, enjoying a simple meal, [he] was brutally attacked by an individual who apparently [came] to the location after a social media posting.”

Los Angeles police captain Kelly Muniz said a suspect brandished a firearm inside the restaurant and demanded jewellery and other valuables from the victim. He then shot Rock and ran through a side door to a getaway car. The victim was taken to hospital and pronounced dead at 1:59 p.m.

Rock’s 2015 single “Fleek” went viral on Vine, catapulting him into the spotlight.

He has collaborated with artists like Ed Sheeran and Chance the Rapper (“Cross Me”), XXXTentacion and Trippie Redd (“Bad Vibes Forever”), and Fetty Wap for the 2016 mixtape Money, Hoes & Flows.

Rock is best known for his 2016 single “Selfish”, which peaked at No 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.

His most recent song “Luv Me Again” was released earlier this month.

The rapper is survived by two children, including a two-year-old daughter.