Young Dolph: A timeline of events following the Memphis rapper’s shooting death
Rapper Young Dolph was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 17, 2021. Here is a timeline of events following his death.
Ray Padilla, Memphis Commercial Appeal
The late rapper Young Dolph was killed in an alleged attack on him, according to prosecutors and one of the alleged hitmen.
Cornelius Smith, one of the defendants in connection with the rapper’s killing, testified in a court in the US state of Tennessee on Monday afternoon that he took part in the rapper’s murder because he had been promised compensation.
Smith said he and Justin Johnson, another suspect in the shooting whose trial began Monday, should each receive $40,000, while Hernandez Govan, the man prosecutors say masterminded the killing, should receive $20,000.
Young Dolph, born Adolf Thorton Jr., was shot and killed on November 17, 2021. The rapper was known for his appearance on OT Genasis’ 2015 song “Cut It” and the singles “Get Paid,” “100 Shots,” “Major” with his cousin and fellow rapper Key Glock, and “RNB” with Megan Thee Stallion.
“I can’t tell you how many times I shot,” says Young Dolph, Cornelius Smith on the witness stand
Smith said Johnson gave him a ride and noted that the original plan was to shoot Thornton during a Thanksgiving “turkey drive,” but then he spotted the camouflaged Corvette the rapper was known to drive.
When they saw Thornton’s car, they began to follow him and saw him drive into the cookie shop parking lot, where he was killed, Smith said.
Smith, who said he was the first to get out of the car as they pulled into the parking lot of Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis, Tennessee, said Monday that he couldn’t tell you how many times I shot (Thornton).
Smith said he was shot in the arm and leg by Marcus Thornton, Young Dolph’s brother, who was present at the cookie stand, and required a “wound kit” to treat his injuries. Johnson suffered a graze in the back, Smith said.
Smith also said the duo parked the white Mercedes in a driveway outside a home in Orange Mound, Tennessee, immediately after the shooting. They then drove in another vehicle to an apartment in South Memphis, Tennessee, where they changed clothes and cleaned their wounds.
Smith was later questioned about his payment and said he received a total of $800 before his arrest.
Smith also faces numerous charges in connection with the killing of Young Dolph.
Yo Gotti’s brother Big Jook fined Young Dolph $100,000, prosecutors say in opening statement
In opening statements at Johnson’s trial on Monday, Tennessee prosecutors alleged that Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, the brother of Memphis rapper Yo Gotti and a member of the CMG record label founded by Yo Gotti, orchestrated a $100,000 attack on Young Dolph.
Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman detailed the involvement of both Big Jook and Johnson, who performed under the stage name Straight Drop, in the murder of Thornton nearly three years ago.
Hagerman said Johnson was invited to Atlanta by Big Jook and Govan to sign with CMG, a rival to the Paper Route Empire label founded by Thornton.
Big Jook suggested to Johnson that killing Young Dolph was necessary to get a record deal with CMG, Hagerman claimed.
The Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network, has reached out to CMG for comment.
Video of Young Dolph’s shooting: Prosecution and defense have different views on surveillance
Johnson’s attorney Luke Evans stated in his opening statement that Johnson did not kill Thornton and the evidence against him did not link him to the murder.
Although Hagerman specifically cited photographic evidence and the clothing Johnson wore during and in the hours afterward that linked him to the crime, Evans disagreed, saying that similar clothing, such as a Bass Pro Shop hat, did not mean Johnson was the man in the surveillance videos and photos.
Hagerman played the surveillance video outside Makeda’s that showed the moment a white Mercedes pulled up in front of the store and two men got out of the vehicle. Hagerman said the man in the video holding a handgun was Johnson, the other man seen with a semi-automatic weapon was Smith.
Yo Gotti, Young Dolph Beef: What Happened?
The theory put forward by prosecutors represented the first confirmation by authorities that Dolph’s murder was the result of an ongoing hip-hop war between Gotti’s CMG camp and Dolph’s Paper Route Empire organization.
The roots of the feud between Dolph and Gotti go back more than a decade. In 2014, Dolph – then newly known as a mixtape artist – began publicly declaring that he had turned down an offer to join Gotti’s record label, CMG.
The rappers have exchanged diss tracks and pointed references over the years, including Dolph’s 2016 debut album, “The King of Memphis,” which is seen as a direct challenge to Gotti’s claim to the position.
Then, on February 25, 2017, a vehicle Dolph was riding in was shot at while on tour in Charlotte, North Carolina. More than 100 shots were reportedly fired at the bulletproof car, and Dolph was unharmed and performed a concert that night. Dolph’s post-shooting LP, aptly titled “Bulletproof,” included the single “100 Shots.”
In May 2019, Gotti’s associate Blac Youngsta was one of three men who turned themselves in to authorities in Charlotte for their alleged involvement in the Dolph shooting. Youngsta was released on bail and the charges against him were eventually dropped.
In September 2017, the situation escalated further when Young Dolph was shot dead in front of the Lowes Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles police denied to The Commercial Appeal at the time that Gotti – who was staying at the same hotel as Dolph – was a person of interest in the investigation. A few days after the incident, Corey McClendon of Memphis was arrested and charged with attempted murder.
On November 17, 2021, young Dolph was shot and killed in Makeda’s. Dolph, 36, had about 22 gunshot wounds to his head, back, chin, neck and arms, according to an autopsy report.
In January, Big Jook was shot dead outside a restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee. The 47-year-old’s murder on January 13 appeared to be a targeted assassination-style killing.
Although photos of a car believed to be involved in the murder were released immediately after the incident, no suspects have yet been identified or charged in connection with Mims’ murder. Officials have not publicly stated whether they believe Big Jook’s death is related to Young Dolph’s death.
