Houston rapper BTB Savage was fatally shot on Thursday, just hours after posting photos on Twitter from the blood-splattered scene where he and his girlfriend killed a would-be thief in self-defense.
The rapper, whose real name is believed to be Brian Thompson, was shot dead around 6:10 p.m. on March 30 in the 2100 block of Mid Lane in Houston.
According to local reports, the rapper was the victim of a drive-by shooting.
In a press briefing posted online by KPRC-TV, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner described Thursday’s shooting as a “targeted incident” due to the number of shell casings at the scene.
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Police had yet to identify the deceased victim at the time of the briefing, but local media said it was BTB Savage.
Finner described the deceased victim as a young black man in his twenties. He said the victim was driving a white Mercedes when a black Subaru SUV with at least two suspects inside drove up and opened fire.
The Mercedes was heading north when the suspect vehicle approached and the gunmen began shooting. Finner added that at some point the suspects got out of the Subaru and fired more shots at the Mercedes.
Investigators are examining surveillance cameras near homes and businesses as they search for clues, Finner said.
An FBI spokesperson also attended the press conference and said federal investigators would help with the case because “things like this, this drive-by shooting, just can’t happen.”
Houston police did not immediately respond to Urban Hollywood 411request for additional information.
As news of the up-and-coming rapper’s death spread, fans took to his YouTube page and posted comments under his music video for the song “TSA” featuring Juney Knotzz.
“Rest in peace Savage,” one person wrote.
“He was really about to blow. RIP,” another person added.
“I just went through the whole channel…Bro was talented,” someone else wrote.
In a March 26 interview with DJ Vlad, BTB Savage revealed that he and his girlfriend killed a man he believed was trying to rob him.
The rapper explained that he hosted two men at his house to discuss working on a song together, but he immediately noticed something was wrong.
“They were just talking and looking around my crib,” he said. “I thought that was a little weird.”
The rapper said one of the men pretended to have forgotten something and walked out. The other man asked about a chain that BTB wore. An argument broke out and he said the man told him, “I’m going to shoot you.”
The man added, “I see you flexing on Instagram,” which means showing off money and jewelry on the platform.
BTB said the man pulled out “two guns.” The would-be thief shot him and BTB’s arm was injured. At that moment, BTB yelled at his girlfriend to shoot the man.
“She hit him twice in the back,” BTB Savage said.
Watch the heartbreaking interview with DJ VLAD below.
