Weapons & Guns

3:30 PM PT -- The meeting's been postponed. LAPD tells us Nipsey's family wanted to attend in his place, but they were unable to do it today. We're told they informed LAPD they were just too "distraught" so soon after Nipsey's murder.

Understandable.

Nipsey Hussle was supposed to be meeting with LAPD brass Monday -- ironically, to discuss preventing gang violence -- and TMZ has learned it's still going to happen ... in his honor.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Roc Nation honcho Jay Brown spoke to LAPD on behalf of Nipsey, aiming to set up a face-to-face between the rapper and at least 2 high-ranking police officials.

Jay reached out to L.A. Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff about 3 months ago to coordinate the summit, and we're told Nipsey's intention was to talk gang violence and ways to prevent it in L.A. ... especially in his Crenshaw District neighborhood.

The meeting was supposed to take place Monday afternoon with Soboroff and LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore -- something Soboroff revealed shortly after Nipsey was gunned down at his clothing store.

Our sources say, despite Nipsey's tragic murder ... the meeting will happen, as scheduled ... at Jay's request. We're told he wanted to press forward to honor Nipsey's wishes. Someone from Roc Nation, possibly Jay, will attend the meeting in Nipsey's place.

We got a hold of Soboroff, and he told us he regretted not holding the meeting earlier. He says, "The sadness that I feel -- I wish we could have had the meeting on Friday. I think he would have been excited about all the possibilities, and I know we were."

Everyone is heartbroken over the murder of Nipsey Hussle -- but none perhaps more so than The Game ... who lost sleep over it, and broke down while roaming the streets.

Game posted a few videos of himself driving early Monday morning -- around 4 AM, apparently -- in the wake of Nipsey's shooting death just hours earlier near Crenshaw. You don't see his face, but you can hear how distraught the Compton rapper is over it all.

He's dumbfounded by the fact Nipsey was gunned down at his own place of business ... and in his own neighborhood in the Crenshaw District, no less. Game's disgusted by it, especially because NH was doing so much good in the area.

Game ends with saying, "LA on some bulls***, on me" ... which is similar to how Jay-Z responded when XXXTentacion was shot to death in Florida last year. Jay put the "streets" on blast in a song -- and it sounds like Game is doing the same here.

TMZ broke the story ... Nipsey was shot to death Sunday afternoon in front of his Marathon Clothing store in the Hyde Park neighborhood of L.A., just south of Crenshaw. Paramedics tried to save him, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. He was just 33.

Nipsey had worked with countless hip-hop artists, including The Game. The music community at large has widely mourned his passing with shock and remorse.

2:50 PM PT -- The L.A. County Medical Coroner says Nipsey died from gunshot wounds to his head and torso. He was pronounced dead Sunday at 3:55 PM ... at a downtown L.A. hospital.

4/1 -- Nipsey Hussle was enjoying March Madness like the rest of us Saturday night -- less than 24 hours before he was gunned down Sunday. The rapper was sitting courtside in Anaheim, CA for the Texas Tech/Gonzaga game. This is one of the last known public photos of him out there.

7:50 PM PT -- Somebody is already claiming to have been the one who shot and killed Nipsey Hussle. An artist by the name of Cinco says he was on Instagram Live Sunday after news broke that Nipsey had been shot. He says in the middle of his Live session, a young man under the username @gasstongbo hopped on with his own video and said he was the shooter.

Check out the interaction ... the guy says he literally walked up on Nipsey and shot him in front of his "daughter." Nipsey was photographed right before the shooting in the presence of a young child, but it's unclear if that was his kid or not.

We should make clear ... we do NOT know if this is the same man police have ID'd as the suspect in the case. It's simply someone who is making a claim to the crime.

6:02 PM PT -- Our sources are clear ... this appears to be gang-related to the law enforcement officers working the case.

5:46 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the suspect cops are looking for is a black male in his 20s. We're told he approached Nipsey and co. by foot Sunday afternoon and fired multiple shots ... only to depart right after in what we're told appeared to be a nearby waiting vehicle with a separate driver, who our sources say was female.

5:12 PM PT -- Our law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Nipsey Hussle has died. He was 33 years old. He's survived by two children and his girlfriend, Lauren London, with whom he had a child in 2016.

4:32 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... 3 people were shot at Nipsey's store, and one just died at the hospital. It's unclear if that person is Nipsey. We're being told that one man fled in a vehicle after the shooting.

Nipsey Hussle was just shot in L.A. ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell us the rapper was gunned down Sunday in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, south of the Crenshaw area. We're told he was at his clothing company called The Marathon Clothing. He opened the place back in 2017.

His condition is unknown at this point, but eyewitnesses say they heard multiple shots. Police and paramedics have swarmed the area and taped off the crime scene.

Nipsey received CPR on the scene as well. Videos are circulating showing him receiving CPR from an EMT, who's doing chest compressions.

What's crazy ... Nipsey seems to have tweeted right before the shooting, and alluded to "enemies." He wrote, "Having strong enemies is a blessing."

Nipsey -- who's from the Crenshaw area of L.A. -- is said to have ties to the Crips. That hasn't stopped him from working with artists who have rival gang affiliations ... he's made music with both YG and The Game -- both of whom have been tied to Bloods.

Nipsey has also worked with other huge names in the industry, like Drake, Childish Gambino, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Young Thug, Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, Kirko Bangz, Dom Kennedy, Tyga, Jadakiss, Chamillionaire and many, many others.

He's released multiple mixtapes over the course of his 10-plus year career but just dropped his first studio album last year. It's called "Victory Lap" ... and it got him a Grammy nod for Best Rap Album just a month ago. Nipsey lost out to Cardi B at the award show.

Nipsey's mixtapes date back to 2005. He dropped 10 projects independently before releasing his debut album, which was distributed through his own record label, All Money In, and Atlantic Records.

Despite being a polished rapper, Nipsey was no stranger to the streets. He got roped into a brawl out in West Hollywood back in December of 2018 ... which turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

This isn't the first time trouble has descended onto Nipsey's store either. Gunfire erupted there back in September of 2018, but no one was shot. Nipsey was not at the store that time.

Nipsey was incredibly involved in his local community, in which he worked to prevent gang violence. He helped spear a major art initiative in his home neighborhood called "Destination Crenshaw" -- a 1.3-mile open-air museum that will feature local art.

He also recently helped launch Vector 90 -- a Crenshaw district based STEM learning center and workspace dedicated to developing science and technology education in the area.

During a showcasing of Vector 90 last year, Nipsey told the LA Times ... "I grew up in gang culture. We dealt with death, with murder. It was like living in a war zone, where people die on these blocks and everybody is a little bit immune to it. I guess they call it post-traumatic stress, when you have people that have been at war for such a long time. I think L.A. suffers from that because it’s not normal yet we embrace it like it is after a while."

Nipsey has been dating Lauren London since at least 2015, when she got pregnant with their child. They kept a low profile as a couple, but stirred up engagement rumors when they did a coordinated shoot for GQ back in January ... where they were wearing matching white outfits.

Speaking of GQ, Nipsey and Lauren had worked with them quite recently by doing a "Couples Quiz," which just got released a few days ago.

Lauren hasn't said anything publicly about Nipsey's shooting.

Jimmy Kimmel's good friend and famous chef, Adam Perry Lang, has been TOTALLY CLEARED in the crazy case involving explosives, a rifle and a girlfriend.

TMZ broke the story, Lang was staying at Kimmel's beachside home last January, when cops got a 911 call saying a man was inside the home with explosives and had assaulted his girlfriend with a rifle.

Cops swarmed the Hermosa Beach, CA home but Adam was sound asleep with his ringer off. Cops stayed for hours and when they finally roused him, they ordered him out of the house with his hands up.

Adam was arrested and taken to the station, where Jimmy came to bail him out. Adam insisted he did not make the call and that his cell phone records would back that up. Cops checked his cell phone and did not find a 911 call, but nevertheless pursued the case.

Logic's got a powerful message to those struggling with survivor's guilt ... KEEP FIGHTING.

We got the rapper, and famous suicide prevention advocate, leaving 'The Daily Show' studio Tuesday night in NYC where he got serious with our photog for a hot minute. We wondered what Logic had to say on the heels of 2 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivors taking their lives.

The suicides happened just days apart ... and there was also a Sandy Hook victim's father who took his own life earlier this week.

As you know ... Logic performed his song "1-800-273-8255" at the Grammys in 2018. The track's title is the number to the suicide prevention hotline. After performing it, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline told us it may have saved many lives. So, clearly Logic's invested in this serious matter.

A second student survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre has died by suicide -- this just days after another survivor took her own life.

The Coral Springs Police Department responded to a neighboring home Saturday night where a dead juvenile had been found, according to a spokesperson, who kept the victim's ID anonymous. Cop say they're investigating the death as an apparent suicide.

According to reports, the student was a 17-year-old male sophomore at MSDHS, who was enrolled at the school at the time of 2018 shooting, which claimed 17 lives.

This marks the second suicide death in just a matter of days, as 19-year-old Sydney Aiello -- who also survived the massacre and recently graduated from MSDHS -- killed herself last week and had a funeral held for her this past week.

Aiello's mother told local media that her daughter had been dealing with survivor's guilt after the shooting and was recently diagnosed with PTSD.

Folks at Disneyland Paris got quite the scare when a loud, malfunctioning escalator caused people to fear there was another terrorist attack ... but thankfully, it was a false alarm.

Footage of the incident shows panic spreading as visitors at the amusement park scream and run for cover Saturday night after hearing loud noises. Turns out, the sounds came from a faulty escalator and there's no threat to the public ... but it still caused chaos.

Police reportedly say people mistook the sounds for gunfire or detonations, and there was a brief stampede before Disneyland officials and law enforcement got things under control.

Disneyland Paris says ... "There has been no explosions, no shootings, no injuries. It a false alarm."

The panic's understandable, considering Paris was the scene of a coordinated series of terrorist attacks in November 2015 that killed 130 people and included bombs and mass shootings.

A speaking event with Rep. Ilhan Omar is already attracting lots of attention, but the shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand has increased the focus ... for safety and security reasons.

TMZ has learned LAPD officers will be out in full force when the controversial new representative from Minnesota speaks Saturday at the Hilton in Woodland Hills, CA, at a fundraising banquet meant to empower Muslims living in the San Fernando Valley.

Protests are planned due to Omar's recent comments, which many view as anti-Semitic -- so, security was already going to be tight -- but law enforcement sources tell us the New Zealand mosque attack that killed 50 people required some adjustments to the overall protection plan for the event.

We're told LAPD will be adding plainclothes officers, police dogs and video surveillance to accompany uniformed cops on the scene. Every attendee will be required to go through a metal detector.

Our sources say the California Highway Patrol and L.A. Fire Dept. will also be lending support, and federal law enforcement will work with LAPD to monitor intelligence.

The Hilton also decided to beef up its security staff in the wake of the mosque shooting ... according to sources close to the Council on American-Islamic Relations event.

3:11 PM PT -- Erica is continuing to post about his death, saying, "Please love me while I'm still here. Nothing is promised. Appreciate life."

1:23 PM PT -- Erica just posted a message about Dixon's murder, saying, "We all deal with so much. You dealt with a lot. I'm so sorry this happened, you didn't deserve this. Rest in forever peace. Watch over your blood sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews and your mommy. I know they are so broken right now."

9:04 AM PT -- Cops now say Dixon had just arrived at the location and was standing in the parking lot when he was shot multiple times. Cops still haven't said where Dixon was hit. The death is being investigated as a homicide.

Cliff Dixon, ex-boyfriend of 'Love & Hip Hop' star Erica Mena, is dead after getting shot in Atlanta ... while out celebrating his birthday.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Cliff, a close friend of NBA superstar Kevin Durant, was partying at SL Lounge when an apparent lone gunman opened fire in front of the club around 1 AM Thursday. Cops are investigating but it's unclear if Dixon was targeted.

He was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to an incident report, obtained by TMZ, an officer says he was in his patrol unit outside the club when he saw a black male wearing all black with a black skull cap fire at the victim.

The cop says he saw the suspect take off as others gave chase but lost him. It's unclear how many times Dixon -- who earlier Wednesday posted video of himself singing in his car -- was shot.

Dixon's friends have taken to social media to offer condolences. One wrote, "Rest in heavenly peace bro. U ain't deserve what happen to u."

Erica and Cliff dated for about 10 months, but their relationship was undoubtedly rocky. You'll recall they both got arrested last October after getting into a huge fight. Erica ultimately moved on ... getting engaged to Safaree a few months later.

Cliff had been childhood friends with KD and was reportedly part of the hoops star's inner circle.

He was 32. RIP.

Adrien Broner has been ordered to stay away from social media star Andrew C. Caldwell after making a video implying he would shoot Caldwell in the face if he made a pass at him.

Caldwell filed a request for a temporary restraining order against the boxer Thursday morning in St. Louis -- which was granted by a judge. Broner must stay at least 500 feet from Caldwell.

As we previously reported, Broner threatened to "punch the testosterone" out of Caldwell earlier this week -- claiming Andrew had been contacting him online in an attempt to hook up. Caldwell has said Broner was the initiator.

Broner denied that -- and posted a "P.S.A." video online in which he threatened to shoot ANY gay person in the face who tried to make a pass at him ... saying he's aggressively homophobic.

Caldwell took the video as a personal threat -- and in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, he wrote, "[Broner] says on social media that he coming to St. Louis to kill me."

The judge felt Caldwell had a reasonable fear and granted the temporary order -- which also requires both Broner and Caldwell from posting bad things about each other on social media.

Police and prosecutors believe podcast host Adam Grandmaison's life really was in danger when a guy busted in during his live stream and put a gun to his head ... 'cause the suspect's been charged, and he's still behind bars.

The hip-hop host of the "No Jumper" podcast -- known as Adam22 -- was violently interrupted while recording his show Sunday when the gunman pointed his weapon at Adam and threatened his life.

According to the L.A. County D.A.'s office ... the suspect, 24-year-old David Tran, has now been charged with one count of attempted second-degree robbery. He's still in custody and being held on $100k bail.

After video of the scary moment surfaced, many skeptics wondered if Adam staged it for publicity. Adam spoke to us and made it clear -- it was 100 percent real and serious, and everyone was fortunate there were no deaths ... especially the gunman.

As we reported ... Adam's security at his BMX and clothing store took control of the situation by quickly taking the guy down, and Adam ended his live stream and called the cops.

2:15 PM PT -- Anthony Comello's attorney, Robert C. Gottlieb, tells TMZ that his client has waived extradition Monday and will be arraigned in a Staten Island court next week. Gottlieb also tells us that Comello has been placed in protective custody after receiving "serious threats," where he will remain while his case is pending. Gottlieb adds that Comello's family cannot believe the accusations against Anthony, and promises to get to the truth of the matter.

The man suspected of killing Gambino crime boss Frank Cali came to court with a message on his hand ... "United We Stand MAGA Forever."

Anthony Comello faced a New Jersey judge Monday and displayed his left palm with words written with a blue ballpoint pen. A court officer scoffed at Comello -- who was arrested and taken into custody over the weekend -- asking him why he was waving his hand to reporters. His response ... "Why? I'm handcuffed," suggesting he couldn't do any harm by showcasing his palm.

Our law enforcement sources said cops believe Comello may have murdered Cali because the mob boss was blocking him from dating Cali's niece.

You'll recall, domestic terrorism suspect Cesar A. Sayoc pledged allegiance to Trump ... festooning his van with tons of pro-Trump stickers and allegedly sending pipe bombs to CNN, President Obama and others.

Then there's Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz, who wore a MAGA hat during target practice just months before killing 17 people at his former high school.

12:32 PM PT -- Adam22 tells TMZ ... the gunman came THIS close to getting shot and killed after someone in his crew pulled out his gun and pointed it at the assailant's head. Adam told us, "That's the thing I'm thankful [about], this guy didn't get killed cause it was really, really close to happening."

Adam also tells us how the assailant managed to get inside the clothing store where the alleged crime went down. And, Adam's adamant ... this was NOT a skit or a joke. It was legit.

Scary moment for the podcast/YouTube host who got held up at gunpoint ... and it all happened during his live stream.

Adam Grandmaison -- better known as Adam22 -- was in the middle of filming his popular hip-hop podcast, "No Jumper," Sunday night in L.A. when some guy, out of nowhere, pulls a gun on Adam22, who was filming from a back room at his popular BMX and clothing store, ONSOMESHIT.

Watch the vid ... the gunman demands Adam22's money and threatens, "Do you want to die right now?" as a harrowing 14 seconds unfolds during the live YouTube broadcast to nearly 900k subscribers. Moments later, it appears security takes control of the sitch ... by knocking out the would-be thief.

You can later hear someone scold the crap outta the assailant saying, "Don't you f***ing pull up on us with a gun you little bitch. What the f*** is wrong with you?" In a separate video, you can also see the gunman barely conscious on the ground throwing the peace sign before he gets kicked.

Adam22 ended the live stream and called cops. LAPD responded to the scene and the gunman was arrested and taken into custody. The podcaster somehow managed to take the moment in stride.

He cracked jokes on Twitter to his more than 500k followers, "One minute you're tweeting jokes about f***ing cats and the next minute you got a gun to your head."

Originally published -- 6:43 AM PT

3/17 -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops are investigating whether Cali's killing was over a family dispute -- namely, whether Cali blocked Comello from dating his niece. We're told police believe this is something that could've possibly motivated Comello to shoot Cali.

2:21 PM PT -- The NYPD held a press conference Saturday, saying Anthony Comello is in custody and expected to be charged for Frank Cali's murder. NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea told the media that they believe Comello is the shooter. He's currently being held in a New Jersey jail but will be charged in Staten Island. No word on an official motive.

Police have apprehended a person of interest in the murder of Gambino crime boss, Frank Cali ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us cops picked up a white 24-year-old man in New Jersey Saturday morning, who is now being questioned in connection with the killing.

As we reported ... someone rolled up to Cali's Staten Island home Wednesday night and opened fire on the mob boss, apparently running him over as well.

Our sources say the man was apprehended in Jersey in the vicinity of a blue pickup truck -- which is significant to the investigation. According to investigators, witnesses say they saw a man in a blue pickup truck slam into Cali's parked car, prompting him to come outside.

Police say about a minute after Cali confronted the man who'd struck his car, the other guy pulled out a handgun and fired 12 shots ... 6 of which hit Cali. Cops say Cali then tried to crawl under the back end of the other guy's truck before the man drove away.

We're told the 24-year-old, who has yet to be identified, has not been arrested or charged with a crime as of yet. He's simply someone cops wanted to talk to. Our sources also tell us the dude -- whom we're being told is from Staten Island -- was tracked down in part through his cell phone.

Also interesting ... we're told cops don't believe the murder was actually mob-related, as it appears to be more of a personal dispute than anything else.

Cali reportedly took over as head of the Gambino family in 2015. John Gotti was the "boss" before going down for murder and racketeering in 1992.

3:48 PM PT-- Soulja's lawyer, Fred Minassian, tells TMZ the judge released him today pending a hearing on March 29. He says, "There was no finding in regards to his probation violation."

1:38 PM -- The rapper's been released from jail and he immediately took to Instagram Live to joke and rant about the arrest. Soulja Boy jokes he's gonna rock his jail ID wristbands on stage for his gig at Staples Center. He says he's still gonna perform at the Clippers game Friday night.

Check it out ... he also says he's NOT going out like Tekashi69, who is behind bars on racketeering charges. He also calls himself the hottest rapper in the game before peacing out.

Soulja Boy has been arrested ... and it sounds like the same old story -- he allegedly can't keep his hands off firearms and ammo.

Soulja went to see his probation officer Friday morning in the San Fernando Valley, and when he showed up he was cuffed and taken to jail.

Here's what we know. Soulja is currently on probation and the offenses go back 8 years ... when he was convicted of weapons violations. In 2016, while he was on probation, cops descended on his home after the rapper threatened people online. During their search, cops found at least one weapon, which was a violation of Soulja's probation.

A judge extended his probation again, making it clear ... NO WEAPONS.

Fast forward to last month ... cops executed a search warrant at Soulja's home after a woman claimed he held her hostage in his garage ... something he denied. Our law enforcement sources tell us during the search, cops found ammunition, which he's not allowed to possess while on probation.

Apparently, cops waited to make their move, knowing he was going to show up to see his probation officer, and that's when they swooped in and arrested him for another probation violation.

The rapper's currently in jail in Van Nuys. He'll appear in court later Friday to face a judge.

Soulja is supposed to perform at a Clippers game Friday night -- and seemed pretty confident he'd be there in a video posted just before his arrest. We'll see if he shows.

Originally Published -- 9:31 AM PT

Gianni Russo wasn't just in "The Godfather," he claims to have deep mob ties -- and tells TMZ there's NO WAY the hit on Gambino crime boss Frank Cali was carried out by the Italian mafia.

And why? Because Russo says the killer broke a SACRED mafia rule that no Italian mobster would dare to violate.

"I don't think it was an Italian hit or a Family hit because they shot [Cali] in front of his family's house. They don't do that," Russo explained.

Russo played Carlo Rizzi in "The Godfather" -- who famously betrayed the Corleone Family, only to be whacked in a hit orchestrated by Michael Corleone.

Russo also says he was an errand boy for the mob back in the day -- and had close mobster friends, including Gambino mob boss Paul Castellano, who was killed in 1985.

As for Cali, officials say the 53-year-old mobster was shot to death in a hit in front of his Staten Island home. The killers also ran over his body after the shooting.

Russo says Italian mobsters respect an unspoken rule that family homes are sacred -- and that's why he believes the shooting was probably motivated by money and drugs, and not mob politics.

Officials say they're investigating the shooting -- but so far, no arrests have been made and no suspects have been identified.