American rapper, Silento, known for his hit song and viral dance craze “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” has been arrested and charged with murdering his cousin.
His cousin was found shot to death last month in DeKalb County, Georgia, authorities said on Monday.
Silento, whose real name is Ricky Hawk, 23, was booked on Sunday on suspicion of felony murder, DeKalb County jail records show.
A DeKalb County Police Department incident report shows that officers found the victim, Frederick Rooks, 34, lying on a road in Panthersville, southeast of Atlanta, about 3:30 a.m. Jan. 21.
Rooks had been shot in the face and a leg, the report says. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Neighbors heard several gunshots and alerted authorities. Police responded to a shots fired call on January 21 around 3:30 a.m. in the Panthersville area. They found Rooks dead at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds, according to DeKalb police Lt. Rod Bryant.
Bryant at the time said;
I think it is connected to this house. We’re still doing a little bit more investigation. The people in the house know him, but he really don’t live there, so we’re trying to see what’s going on.
Responding officers were able to gather video from multiple residents’ security cameras, according to the incident report. The video showed several cars fleeing the scene at high speeds, and the footage captured at least one gunshot. Eight bullet casings were collected at the scene, the report said.
Detectives were still working to uncover a motive for the shooting.
Hawk rose to fame as a teenage rap sensation in 2015, and his “Watch Me” video has been viewed nearly 1.8 billion times on YouTube.
Silento’s 2015 single, “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” earned him a top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and nominations on television award shows.
The rapper has been arrested multiple times in recent months. In August 2020, he was arrested twice in one week on domestic violence and gun charges in California.
Two months later, he was arrested and booked into DeKalb jail on charges that he was speeding at more than 140 mph on I-85. According to the police report, he told officers that he was speeding because people were following him.
