LAPD Arrests 5 In Home Invasion Killing Of Rapper Pop Smoke

HOLLYWOOD, CA — The Los Angeles Police arrested five people in connection with the February 19 killing of Bashar Jackson, a New York-based rapper known as Pop Smoke, the department announced Thursday.

Pop Smoke was shot and killed by home invasion robbers in the Hollywood Hills. The masked gunman escaped at the time. This week, authorities arrested three men and two youths in connection with the killing. Pop Smoke, who broke out over the summer with the hit song "Welcome to the Party," died at cedars-sinai medical center.

Corey Walker, 19, Jaquan Murphy, 21, and Keandre D. Rodgers, 18, were arrested Thursday, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Each are being held on $1 million bail . Investigators believe at least some of the suspects are involved in the killing of 18-year-old Kamryn Stone in the Rose Bowl parking lot on Sept. 14, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Walker was arrested for suspicion of murder about 2:10 a.m. near Laurel Canyon Boulevard and the Hollywood (101) Freeway, police said.

Murphy was arrested for suspicion of attempted murder about 5:30 a.m. in the 9500 block of South Avalon Boulevard, near East 95th Street, according to police.

Rodgers was arrested for suspicion of murder about 5:10 a.m. in the 300 block of West 74th Street, near South Broadway, police said.

Two juveniles were also arrested and booked for suspicion of murder, but their names were not released.

Investigators said they believe the suspects are "members of a Los Angeles street gang," according to police.

At the time of his killing, LAPD Capt. Steve Lurie said the 911 call came from someone "back East (who) stated a friend of theirs home was being broken into by multiple suspects, and that one of them was armed with a handgun."

"When officers arrived there approximately six minutes later, they discovered a victim inside the house had been shot," Lurie said. "They called the fire department, who arrived and transported that victim to Cedars-Sinai (Medical Center), where he was pronounced dead."

"Officers detained several people who were inside the house," Lurie said. "However, all of those folks were released. ... No one was arrested at the scene."

Pop Smoke released an album in July, and one of the songs, ``Welcome to the Party," was considered by many the song of the summer, TMZ reported. Nicki Minaj did a remix of the song a few months later. He also did a song, ``Gatti," with Travis Scott.

Upon Pop Smoke's death, Minaj shared a photo of the slain rapper on Instagram, along with the words: "The Bible tells us that jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Unbelievable. Rest in Peace, Pop."

Rapper 50 Cent wrote on Twitter: "R.I.P. to my man Pop Smoke, No sympathy for winners. God bless him." In a second post, 50 Cent wrote: "No such thing as success without jealousy, treachery comes from those who are close. R.I.P."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.