Baltimore Rapper Lor Scoota to Be Laid to Rest as Homicide Investigation Continues

Baltimore, MD — The funeral for an up-and-coming Baltimore rapper is planned for Friday.

Tyriece Travon Watson, 23, also known as "Lor Scoota," was gunned down while driving on Moravia at Harford Road in east Baltimore Saturday night after appearing at a charity basketball game at Morgan State University. The event was billed as a peace rally.

Police said Lor Scoota was targeted by a black man wearing a white bandana who stepped into the street and opened fire on the rapper.

The suspect has not been identified, and police are actively investigating the homicide.

A bystander told WJZ that the suspect had a white shirt over his head, fired seven shots into Scoota's vehicle and jumped into a green getaway car.

Officials said a surveillance camera from a nearby business showed the murder and the getaway vehicle. Police released footage Wednesday of the suspect vehicle, a green Nissan Quest minivan.

With at least one gunshot wound, Scoota was taken to an area hospital, where police reported he was later pronounced deceased.

Scoota, of the 1900 block of Clifton Avenue, had been rapping since he was 11 years old in an effort to share his point of view with the world, he said in an interview in 2014, the year he released his hit song "Bird Flu."

A vigil honoring his memory was held Monday night in the 1500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, where three people were arrested after some started throwing bottles and rocks at police, WJZ reported.

Police Commissioner Kevin Davis emphasized that the majority of attendees were peaceful.

Lor Scoota will be laid to rest at noon on Friday, with Rev. Jamal Bryant of the Empowerment Temple delivering the eulogy, according to WBAL.

Bryant, who also eulogized Freddie Gray, has a career that like Lor Scoota's has been put in the spotlight; the reverend will appear this summer on a talk show on Fox with three other mega church preachers.

Publicity around Scoota's death has prompted what police said was a natural change in the flow of information given where people are congregating.

Baltimore Police announced Monday that homicide detectives would begin accepting tips through text message and email, noting that the name "Lor Scoota" was trending online Saturday and Sunday on Twitter and Facebook.

Authorities are particularly interested in any images or videos from Saturday's charity basketball game or near the crime scene on Moravia at Harford road, including info from Snapchat, Facebook Live or other social media.

Here are the ways to send tips to Baltimore Police:

• Text 443-902-4824, which instantly goes to homicide detectives.
• Email homicidetips@baltimorepolice.org.
• Call homicide at 410-396-2100.
• Reach Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP or text to CRIMES (274637) for a reward.

Screenshot from Lor Scoota/YouTube.