As per reports from 2021, Young Dolph, a well-known rapper from Memphis, was slain in a shooting on Wednesday while standing inside a cookie shop on Airways Boulevard, according to Memphis police. Check out Who is Hernandez Govan, the whole case history and identity as the third suspect in the rapper’s murder.
Who is Hernandez Govan?
In connection with the murder of Memphis rapper Young Dolph, a third suspect has been brought to justice. Hernandez Govan, 43, was charged on three counts on November 10 according to Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy.
Govan is accused of first-degree murder, first-degree murder conspiracy, and first-degree murder attempt. In connection with the rapper’s murder, Justin Johnson, 23, and Cornelius Smith, 32, are also accused.
On November 17, 2021, a shooting took place at the Airways Boulevard shop Makeda’s Homemade Cookies. Those close to the 36-year-old musician claimed that whenever he went to Bluff City, he enjoyed stopping by Makeda’s.
Young Dolph murder: Explained
According to many law enforcement sources who spoke to Fox13 Memphis, Young Dolph, a well-known indie rap artist and the cousin of the late musician Juice Wrld, was shot and died on Wednesday in Memphis. Age-wise, he was 36.
At around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, the rapper—whose real name was Adolph Robert Thornton Jr.—was purchasing cookies from Makeda’s Butter Cookies when a shooter drove up and fired through the window.
Social media users who captured the shooting’s aftermath were able to identify Young Dolph’s car, which had a distinctive and recognizable camouflage paint job. After the shooting, a large number of admirers showed up at the scene to show their sorrow and support. Social media reports about shootings involving other Memphis rappers started to circulate in the hours following the shooting.
There is no proof of shootings at two of the most popular alleged locations, according to a Memphis police official. The official did confirm a gunshot at the Melrose High School vicinity’s Deadrick Avenue and Haynes Street intersection in Orange Mound. This shooting, which was also posted on social media, left no victims. It was unclear if there was any relation to Young Dolph’s shooting.
Following the shooting of Young Dolph, Memphis City Councilman J.B. Smiley and Tennessee State Representative London Lamar demanded that the city impose a curfew. Smiley cited “claims of other shootings.”
Police said no preliminary suspect information was immediately available.
Two Persons charged in the rapper’s killing
According to reports from January 2022, both of the assassins wanted for the killing of renowned Memphis rapper Young Dolph are currently in custody. The two individuals charged in the rapper’s killing became the subject of an official indictment that was made public on January 12.
Who were the suspects?
One of the suspects, Justin Johnson, age 23, was apprehended in Indiana on January 11 at about 3 p.m., according to the U.S. Marshals.
The second alleged shooter, Cornelius Smith, was also apprehended and lodged in the Shelby County Jail, where he was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the rapper’s passing, according to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.
In addition, Smith is accused of attempting to kill Young Dolph’s brother, who was present inside Makeda’s Cookies at the time of the incident.
Less than a week after the Marshals named Johnson as one of those responsible for Young Dolph’s death—whose true name was Adolph Robert Thornton Jr.—Johnson was arrested.
The U.S. Marshals Service has offered a $15,000 reward for information that results in Johnson’s capture. According to them, Johnson was one of two people who opened fire on the well-known rapper on November 17, 2021, when he was inside Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies on Airways Boulevard
Before being apprehended, Johnson posted on social media that he would turn himself in at 201 Poplar, but the Shelby County District Attorney’s office claims that Johnson never showed up.
Johnson, who supposedly raps under the pen name Straight Drop, was detained in 2017 for a triple shooting at Billy Hardwick’s All-Star Lanes bowling alley on White Station Rd. Before his claimed involvement in the murder of Young Dolph. However, a judge approved Johnson’s parole after just a few months, ending the five-year term he received for that shooting.
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BREAKING:
Both Young Dolph accused gunmen are in custody.
Justin “Straight Drop” Johnson and Cornelius Smith (the gunman wearing the Bass Pro Hat.) pic.twitter.com/HVdxWQE1X2— Jeremy Pierre FOX13 (@JeremypierreFOX) January 11, 2022
Judge Chris Craft of the Shelby County Criminal Court granted the application to postpone Johnson’s five-year jail term after he had served just more than five months, saying “It’s called the Department of Corrections, not the Department of Punishment.”
Johnson is accused of first-degree murder and stealing between $10,000 and $60,000 in goods. Additionally, he violates his federal parole due to a conviction for weapons, according to an active warrant.
First-degree murder attempted first-degree murder, illegally carrying or possessing a weapon, using a handgun with the purpose to commit a crime, and stealing goods worth between $10,000 and $60,000 are other charges brought against Smith, 32.
According to the office of Shelby County District Attorney Weirich, Smith was detained on December 9 in Southaven as a result of an auto-theft warrant involving the white Mercedes Benz used in Young Dolph’s murder.
The Mercedes was taken in a carjacking on November 10 at a gas station on Kirby Rd, according to Weirich’s office. The car was discovered by police on Nov. 20, in the 1100 block of Bradley St. in Orange Mound, based on information from a tip that claimed it was involved in the shooting death of Young Dolph.
Smith was stopped on Airways Blvd. by the Dollar General just north of Rasco Rd. and detained for a property crime, according to Southaven Police Chief Macon Moore. On January 11, Smith was transferred from DeSoto County Jail to Shelby County Jail. Without a bond, he is being detained.
Who was Young Dolph?
Young Dolph, whose full name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was born in Chicago and relocated to Memphis as a baby. He began his career in 2008 with a string of mixtapes.
With Gold-certified hits like “Play With Yo B****” and “100 Shots” starting in 2016, Thornton has risen in the hip-hop hierarchy and on the Billboard charts. His 2020 single “Rich Slave” peaked at No. 3 on the charts.
The King of Memphis album was released by Thornton in 2016; Yo Gotti, whose real name is Mario Mims, had previously claimed the title. There is a rumor that the two rappers are still at odds.
In 2017, Young Dolph survived two shootings.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, in February 2017, a suspect opened fire on a heavily armored SUV, which Thornton would later attribute to saving his life.
One of three men who later turned themselves in to police in Charlotte for their claimed involvement in the shooting was Gotti associate Blac Youngsta.
Thornton was shot many times outside of a Hollywood hotel in Los Angeles later that year, seriously injuring him.
He made a full recovery, and later media stories implied that the incident may have been connected to his ongoing musical and interpersonal conflict with Mims.
Their relationship began with mutual admiration before turning hostile, according to Thornton’s earlier comments.
At the time, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s office did not confirm that Mims was a suspect.
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Lavanya (Senior Editor) is a full-time content writer with almost 5 years of experience and a part-time teacher. She joined Medico Topics on the Breaking News trainee scheme in 2022 and now works on MedicoTopics.com. As a lifelong learner, She is constantly curious about learning new things and passionate about sharing knowledge with people through her writing and teaching.