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Just yesterday the Memphis police department issued an arrest warrant for the suspect involved in the shooting death of rapper Young Dolph. The rapper, age 36, whose real name is Adolph Robert Thornton Jr, was shot to death on Nov 17, 2021. The shooting took place at Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookers in Memphis, an outlet Dolph was known to visit frequently.
Dolph was born in Chicago, Illinois but spent most of his adult life in Memphis. Dolph is survived by two children, daughter Ari and son Tre Tre, along with his steady girlfriend Mia Jaye
Memphis police have identified the suspect as Justin Johnson, 23 who is now wanted on a first-degree murder charge, attempted first-degree murder, and property theft. The Memphis Police Department, Tennessee Bureau Of Investigations, and US Marshals Office have offered a reward of $15K for any information that can lead to the capture of Johnson.
Johnson is described as weighing 190 pounds and is about 5 feet 8 inches tall. He also has a tattoo on his right arm with the name ‘Jaiya.’ The US Marshals Service indicates that Jonson is an extremely dangerous individual with ties to several organized criminal gangs. He should not be approached as he is possibly armed and dangerous. Johnson’s facial features have been posted on all law enforcement and social media sites and is also on Tennessee’s Bureau’s most-wanted list.
When the shooting first took place, Memphis police did release surveillance photos that showed two suspects arriving and parking their 2 door Mercedes next to Dolph’s corvette. After exiting the Mercedes, the two suspects wearing face coverings and hoodies approached the Cookie store and fired several shots. Dolph immediately collapsed and the two suspects fled in the Mercedes. Memphis police arrived at 12.24 pm and found Dolph on the floor- unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Four days later on Nov 21, the police department found the Mercedes after they responded to a shooting; here they discovered one male who had been fatally wounded. It is believed that this was the Mercedes used as the gateway car by Dolph’s killers but police have not released many details. However, after 6 weeks police got a break and identified Johnson as one of the shooters.
Over the past few years, Dolph was noted to be an up-and-coming indie Hip hop artist. He had released several mixtapes and also established his own record label, named Paper Route Empire in 2010. He released his first studio album, ‘The King of Memphis’ 5 years ago.
Why Dolph was killed and what connection he has to Johnson remains a mystery. Dolph had previously been injured in a shooting in LA in Sept 2017. Some people claim that Dolph was known to mix with unsavory people who were jealous of his success in the music business.
In December 2021, Dolph was honored at the FedEx Forum in Memphis as community members and fans gathered to pay tribute to his short life in the world of hip hop.
Dolph was an aspiring creative artist but more important he was a family man, who loved his children. He was also known to help out others in the community.
