Gambling Killer Shot Brooklyn Rapper Mook Mula, Cops Say

CROWN HEIGHT, NEW YORK — A Brooklyn rap artist's alleged killer was arrested more than a year after a gambling dispute between the two men turned fatal, police said.

James Oliver, 40, stands accused of murdering 30-year-old Darnell Pettway, who performed as Mook Mula, during a gambling session in a the lobby of an East 93rd Street building in December 2017, police said.

Oliver allegedly shot Pettway multiple times in the chest inside 80 East 93rd St. on Dec. 2 before fleeing running away at about 10:10 p.m. , said police.

Emergency responders rushed Pettway to Kings County Hospital where he later died, according to police.

The online magazine Hip-Hop Vibe described Mook Mula as "a steadily rising figure in NYC" who had performed in some of the city's top venues and made several appearances on local radio.

Police named Oliver as a suspect in May and arrested him on charges of murder, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon on Feb. 14.

Oliver pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court Thursday and was remanded without bail, court records show.

Photo courtesy of the NYPD