Rapper King Von has died after he was shot outside of a nightclub early Friday morning, authorities said.
The 26 year old, whose real name was Dayvon Bennett, was one of three men shot and killed outside of Monaco Hookah Lounge in Atlanta, Georgia, following an altercation in a parking lot, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.
In a statement, authorities said Bennett and a group of men arrived at the hookah lounge, where an altercation began after they were approached by two men in the parking lot, around 3.20am.
“The argument quickly escalated to gunfire between the two groups,” the GBI said, adding that Atlanta police officers, both on-duty and off-duty, who were working nearby, responded and fired shots.
“During the shooting incident, six men were shot during the group altercation and officer encounter. Bennett and two men died as a result of their injuries, and three were injured and are being treated at a hospital,” the statement said. No officers were injured.
In a separate statement, the Atlanta police department said it believes Bennett was not shot by police.
“At this time, our investigators believe Mr Bennett was shot during the initial shootout between the two groups of males, prior to police responding and attempting to stop the shooting,” the statement reads.
Police also said that the Chicago-born rapper arrived via a private vehicle at the hospital, where he died shortly after the shooting, and that the “investigation into this incident remains open and very active”.
According to police, charges are anticipated against two suspects who were detained at the scene.
The Crazy Story 2.0 rapper was signed to Lil Durk's record label, Only the Family and EMPIRE, and had released his second album in March.
On social media, news of Bennett’s death prompted messages of condolences from both fans and others in the music industry.
“Wow. This year was so tough. Rip Von God bless him and his family, I can’t believe it,” Chance The Rapper tweeted.
Fellow rapper Lloyd Banks wrote: “Rest in Peace King Von.”
