Rapper Silento arrested for cousin's murder

Atlanta, Georgia - 23-year-old rapper Silento allegedly murdered his cousin.

Rapper Silento, whose real name is Richard Lamar Hawk (23), is suspected of murder (collage).
Rapper Silento, whose real name is Richard Lamar Hawk (23), is suspected of murder (collage).  © Collage: Instagram/silento

The musician was arrested on Monday, several media outlets including NBC News reported, citing local police reports.

The accusation: the rapper allegedly shot his older cousin Frederick Rooks (34) on January 21 outside Atlanta.

Rooks was found with gunshot wounds to his leg and face in a residential neighborhood in Panthersville.

Olivia Dunne and teammate KJ spark TikTok frenzy with rival personalities
Olivia Dunne Olivia Dunne and teammate KJ spark TikTok frenzy with rival personalities

Neighbors had alerted police after hearing multiple gunshots. Tragically, Rooks was beyond human help and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Footage from surveillance cameras showed several cars fleeing the scene, one honking loudly.

A gunshot was also heard on the video footage. Further details are not yet known.

It is also unclear how investigators stumbled upon the singer as a suspect. The investigation is ongoing.

Rapper Silento gained fame with his song Watch Me

Rapper Silento has nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram

Silento is known to the police

The rapper became famous at the age of only 17.
The rapper became famous at the age of only 17.  © Instagram/silento

The rapper, whose real name is Richard Lamar Hawk, has had his fair share of run-ins with the law.

Last August, he was arrested in California – twice.

In one of the cases, he broke into a Los Angeles home with an axe, allegedly looking for his girlfriend, but chose the wrong building, TMZ reported. He got off with a hefty fine.

Trump ally MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell evicted from company warehouse
Celebrities Trump ally MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell evicted from company warehouse

The 23-year-old rose to fame in 2015 with his song Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae). On YouTube, the music video has since received more than 1.7 billion clicks.

After the success of his big song-and-dance hit, he continued to be musically active with several releases. None of his later songs was able to match the popularity of Watch Me.

Cover photo: Collage: Instagram/silento

More on Celebrities: