Weapons & Guns

Ex-NBA star Vince Carter had a horrifying Father's Day ... 'cause police say his home was burglarized while his wife and two kids were inside of it -- and nearly $100K was taken in the incident.

According to an Atlanta Police Dept. incident report, obtained by TMZ Sports, suspects broke into Carter's Atlanta home at around 11:50 PM on June 19 ... while the Toronto Raptors legend's wife, Sondi, and her two sons were lying in bed.

According to the report, Sondi said she was frightened by loud noises that had come from the front of her home ... so she took her two boys, hid in a bedroom closet, and dialed 911.

Cops say Sondi told them she had heard suspects rummaging through their belongings in different rooms.

According to the report, an off-duty Atlanta cop arrived at Carter's home first and saw a man wearing a mask and all-black clothing fleeing the property, before eventually getting into an SUV and taking off.

Officers say they arrived a short time later and saw the front window of the home was completely broken. They also said they found $16,100 in $100 bills scattered outside the gated home.

According to the docs, officers said they spoke with Carter on the phone and he said the cash was from a brown bag he had in his closet. He said the $16K was only a small portion of the $100K that was inside of it.

Cops say they also recovered two guns outside the home -- a Desert Eagle that they say belonged to Carter, and a Glock 26 with an extended clip that they suspect belonged to the alleged thief.

Thankfully, cops say no one was injured in the incident. An investigation is ongoing.

French Montana's good mood dampened Wednesday morning when news broke that Lil Tjay was shot and rushed to surgery ... a moment he tweeted about with passion.

We caught up with French in NYC, and Tjay was still on his mind. After all, the two earned a gold plaque (along with Blueface) in 2019 for French's song "Slide."

While French wished Tjay a speedy recovery, he also reinforced the message that rappers have the most "dangerous" job and all the love can often be thinly veiled hate.

On a positive note, we're told Tjay is out of surgery and beginning down the road to recovery ... a fact that'll help French sleep easier.

He's on the verge of dropping his new album "Montega" with Harry Fraud, a new wave of outside music that's approved by NYC Mayor Adams himself ... who just launched a crackdown on illegal dirt biking in the city.

French has no issues with the mayor's tactics on dirt biking -- but, politically, he draws the line on prosecutors using rap lyrics in court cases.

Rapper Lil Tjay is undergoing emergency surgery after being shot ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Tjay was shot just after midnight in Edgewater, NJ. We're told at the time of this post the rapper is in surgery. The extent of his wounds and his condition have not been revealed.

We're told there were 2 shooting sites -- one at a Chipotle Restaurant and another at a nearby Exxon Gas station.

The victim at the Chipotle restaurant was shot several times and the victim at the Exxon was shot once.

We do not know the identity of the second victim.

The suspect or suspects are still at large and police are on the hunt. So far, the motive is unknown.

The incident went down in the middle of the night Wednesday in Edgewater, New Jersey.

Twista knows gun violence is a huge issue in his hometown, and he believes educating the public about proper firearm usage can go a long way toward making the country safer.

The Chicago rap veteran joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to discuss his firearm education course, "The Gun Camp," where he trains civilians to be smarter with weapons.

In the wake of the Buffalo and Ulvade mass shootings -- not to mention the continued spree of shootings in the Chi -- gun control and reform are once again front-burner debate topics ... but Twista's firmly embracing the "blame people, not guns" theory.

He repeated the oft-used line about it being the person behind the gun who ultimately makes fatal decisions.

As for the AR-15 -- which, according to polls, most Americans support banning -- Twista says there are many misconceptions about the rifle frequently used in mass shootings. He's optimistic that if people open up to the notion there can be positive ways to use firearms -- such as organized competitions -- they'll get past what he calls "negative vibes" portrayed in the news.

Of course, when the news is reporting, not portraying, a school shooting that takes the lives of 19 children ... it's hard to focus on anything uplifting.

Still, Twista says most of the response in Chicago to his Gun Camp has been positive, and he's leaning on the idea that law-abiding, safety-minded gun owners are a good thing for all communities.

D.C. rap staple No Savage is a wanted man for a shooting that occurred inside a high-profile shopping district ... this according to law enforcement.

Fairfax County PD believes No Savage got into a fight with another group inside VA’s Tysons Corner Center … before firing off shots and fleeing the scene in a black Cadillac.

The alleged encounter that led to the shooting was caught on camera. Two men appear to approach each other and seem to be scrambling for items on the ground. Shoppers at TCC were running for their lives once the shots were fired.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported as a result of the stampede.

Cops are calling No Savage “armed and dangerous” and are charging him with attempted malicious wounding, three counts of discharging a weapon in an occupied building and use of a firearm in a felony.

Houston Baptist men's basketball star Darius Lee was tragically shot and killed while at a gathering in New York on Monday, the university confirmed.

He was just 21 years old.

According to the NYPD, the shooting occurred at what appeared to be a barbeque in Harlem at around 12:40 AM.

Cops say when they arrived on the scene following reports of gunfire, they found nine people -- seven males and two females -- suffering from gunshot wounds.

Lee, who was ID'ed by Houston Baptist as one of the seven injured males, was transported to a nearby hospital after being struck in the chest by a bullet. He was sadly pronounced dead there, cops say.

Police say a firearm was recovered at the site of the shooting, but no further details regarding the incident were revealed. Cops say they've yet to make any arrests and an investigation is ongoing.

Houston Baptist officials mourned Lee's death on Monday, with men's basketball head coach Ron Cottrell calling the 6-foot-6, 230-pound wing "a remarkable young man."

"We are in shock and cannot wrap our heads around this news," Cottrell said. "My heart breaks for his mom, his sister and his entire family, and for our basketball team. The only thing we find comfort in right now is knowing where Darius is. He is in the arms of Jesus… we know that as fact. And we will see him again some day."

Lee was Houston Baptist's best player last season ... averaging 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The rising senior was expected to graduate in December, the school said.

"As great of a basketball player as he was, he was an even better person," Cottrell said. "I can't even think of basketball right now. I can only think of what a light Darius was during his short time on earth. He was a joy to coach and we loved him so much."

The emergency protection order that was filed against Rajon Rondo last month after he was accused of pulling a gun on the mother of his kids has been dismissed, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A judge ordered the dismissal of the petition on June 16, according to court records.

Court documents show the reason for the move was Rondo and his accuser, Ashley Bachelor, "reached an agreement." No further details surrounding the pact were revealed.

As we reported, the emergency protection order was initially filed on May 13 after Bachelor claimed Rondo became enraged after she interrupted a video game session between the NBA player and his son in Kentucky on May 11.

Rondo allegedly smashed a bunch of items around the house ... and, according to court documents, told Bachelor "You're dead" before leaving the residence.

Bachelor claimed Rondo eventually came back with a gun, scaring her and their kids.

Bachelor was eventually granted protection for herself and her two children, and Rondo had to temporarily stay at least 500 feet away from Ashley and their kids.

Reza Farahan says politicians have screwed up priorities, and clearly have no clue what goes on at drag shows since they're trying to make laws blocking kids from attending them.

We caught up with the former "Shahs of Sunset" star in L.A. and asked what his thoughts were about the new potential legislation in Texas and Florida ...  which would make it a crime for parents to bring their children with them to drag revues.

Reza says it's not just misguided, it's heartbreaking -- he doesn't understand why drag shows are being sexualized by folks who know nothing about them. He says, these shows are nothing but a group of people who are expressing themselves and entertaining people in their own way.

He adds, the shows are a form of art ... all about folks living their best lives and expressing love and happiness. Reza insisted, politicians simply love to sensationalize anything related to the LGBTQ+ community.

Texas State Rep. Bryan Slaton recently said he was filing the potential bill after recent footage went viral of kids in Dallas attending a drag show.

A new photo has emerged from the January 6th insurrection, one that shows then-VP Mike Pence hiding away as rioters stormed the Capitol, chanting about killing him.

The pic shows Pence and his family seeking refuge in his ceremonial office -- not far from the Senate floor -- second lady Karen Pence shuts the curtains as they shelter in place.

The photo was snapped just a few minutes after the Capitol was breached ... and as many started chanting "Hang Mike Pence." The Pence family was taken to a loading dock under the building not long after.

Pence and his daughter, Charlotte, eventually returned to the Capitol when the dust settled, and continued to work on his speech for when Congress reconvened.

As we reported, former President Donald Trump seemingly defended the insurrectionists that had it out for his VP, claiming they were understandably angry.

He claimed he wasn't worried about the Veep's safety at the time, telling ABC's Jonathan Karl, "I thought he was well-protected and I had heard he was in good shape."

Trump chalked the "Hang Mike Pence" stuff to common sense -- calling the guy out for passing what he believed was a fraudulent vote to Congress, AKA certifying Biden.

Hip hop mogul J Prince is sounding the alarm on an alleged Houston gang member who cops say executed his ex's daughter as revenge for a breakup ... Prince says the guy needs to be held accountable

Prince -- the Rap-A-Lot Records honcho who has a reputation for getting things done in Houston -- put the alleged killer on blast Wednesday, telling his 756k Instagram followers ... "We can't have clowns like this running around purposely killing our babies and be ok with it."

Houston police say 22-year-old Jeremiah Jones is the triggerman in a child's fatal shooting, and he's been arrested following a manhunt and booked on counts of capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Cops say Jones "executed" 9-year-old Khylie Sorrells as possible "revenge" over the girl's mother breaking up with him several months ago and allegedly seeing other men.

Police say Jones went to his ex-girlfriend's home Monday night and got into an argument with her before shooting the woman's child in the head.

J Prince appears to be making a call to action, saying ... "Stand with me on preventing this sick individual from harming another baby. I'm not advocating violence, but we have to protect our kids."

Prince also has this to say about Jones ... "I don't care what gang he's with they are no match for us."

Megan Thee Stallion is hopeful that Tory Lanez is not only found guilty for allegedly shooting her, but that he's thrown behind bars as well.

Meg -- who's in the middle of a criminal case involving Lanez in which he's alleged to have shot her in the foot in 2020 -- did an interview with Rolling Stone, in which she touched on the legal matter ... and says she wants him to serve time.

She says, "I want him to go to jail," adding ... "I want him to go under the jail." MTS said this after reflecting/questioning why the case is dragging out so long.

As you know, Tory has denied Megan's accusations and pled not guilty to the charges against him. While there've been bumps throughout -- including him being temporarily remanded to custody for violating a protective order -- it seems the case is going to trial in September.

Megan claims her foot was injured during the shooting -- saying she had to undergo surgery, and couldn't walk for days. She says, "Both of my legs wrapped up. I could not walk. I still have bullet fragments in my feet right now. I was very scared that I was not able to be Megan Thee Stallion no more. And, I was f***ed up."

Megan also addressed the other witness in the matter -- her ex-best friend, Kelsey Harris -- saying she feels like she's sided with Tory in the aftermath. An even more triggering result, she says, is the social media backlash she's received from people who don't believe her.

Roddy Ricch won't be on stage for his Governor's Ball performance in NYC today -- instead, he's in NYPD custody for multiple gun charges ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

Roddy and his crew were stopped at a security checkpoint for the huge festival going down in Queens this weekend, and according to law enforcement sources ... officers say they found a loaded firearm inside the vehicle he was taking to the show. Cops say there about 9 rounds of ammo as well as a large capacity magazine.

We're told the "Cooped Up" rapper was arrested, along with 2 other people riding in the vehicle. Roddy's been hit with 4 counts of criminal possession of a weapon, possession of a large capacity ammo feeding device and unlawful possession of that device.

The festival had to break the news to sad fans ahead of his performance.

It's been a rough go of it for the Governor's Ball this weekend. After Migos pulled out early this week, Lil Wayne signed on to fill their headlining spot -- but just hours before his Friday night set, he also canceled due to a "flight disruption."

A$AP Ferg took Wayne's slot. No word yet on who, if anyone, will be able to replace Roddy.

After two mass shootings in the past month, it seems our elected leaders are finally doing something ... because a new bipartisan framework for gun reform has been reached.

20 U.S. senators announced they'd struck a deal for the bones of would-be legislation that they hope to draft up soon and present to the Senate floor for a vote -- consisting of 10 Dems and 10 Republicans, who've outlined key provisions they wanna address.

Here are the big takeaways of their proposed package ... stricter background checks and extra scrutiny for gun buyers under 21, more money for states to impose renewed red flag laws and additional funding for mental health treatment. Also, beefed up school security.

The background checks for those under 21 would include delving into their juvenile criminal records, if any, and health records. The red flag laws would give state-ran law enforcement the authority to temporarily strip guns from those that pose a risk to themselves or others. Unclear what the criteria for that might be, but based on the name ... anything that stands out as a red flag might presumably be used to step in and stop unusual behavior.

There's more ... their framework also seeks to close the "boyfriend loophole," meaning those who've been found to abuse their SOs can't get their hands on a gun. Plus, they're looking to crack down on straw gun purchasers as well as illegal unlicensed firearm dealers.

It's not everything President Biden has said he wants in new gun control reform, but it's a major first step -- and the fact that this many Republicans are on board means it has a real chance of passing the Senate without a filibuster, assuming they maintain their positions.

Among the four Senators who led the charge ... Chris Murphy (D), John Cornyn (R), Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Thom Tillis (R). The other Republicans include Romney, Portman, Toomey, Blunt, Graham, Cassidy, Collins and Burr. A handful of them are retiring this year.

Again, it's not the assault weapons ban many have been calling for ... but it's something for now. There's an even bigger committee in Congress working on more potential legislation.

The news comes after the Uvalde school shooting -- where 21 people were gunned down, 19 of whom were children -- and the Buffalo shooting ... where another young man went out of his way to target Black people. In both instances, an AR-15 style weapon was used.

Bill Maher is calling out Hollywood studios for being super woke on every issue except the most obvious one -- its own culture of gun violence and vengeance, and the role those images play in real-life mass shootings.

Bill got after the issue on Friday night's episode of his HBO show, "Real Time" ... pointing out Hollywood bends over backward to be politically correct, yet "when it comes to the unbridled romanticization of gun violence? Crickets."

Reacting to the recent mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, and the growing cry for Congress to "do something" ... Maher said movie and TV studios also need to acknowledge some cold hard stats.

Such as the fact the average American kid views about 200,000 acts of violence on big and little screens before they turn 18 -- and the FBI says a "fascination with violence-filled entertainment" is a huge warning sign for potential school shooters.

Since Uvalde, Matthew McConaughey -- and others -- have implored politicians to do something about the access to firearms, assault weapons in particular. Maher says, of course, that's part of the problem too, and so is the film industry's fascination with showing gun violence.

He's keenly aware the left will think he's doing the work of right wing Republicans or even the NRA, but he addresses that squarely. He's also not calling for censorship of action/shoot 'em up films -- which he points out, in a pretty hilarious way, should actually be called vengeance films.

YNW Melly appears to have been the triggerman in the murders of his two friends ... at least according to a police detective who is set to testify at Melly's upcoming trial.

According to new legal docs, police detective Christopher Williams will be called by prosecutors as an expert witness, where he will tell the jury it was "more likely" Melly fired the fatal shots inside a car.

The detective, who says he has extensive training and expertise in reconstructing shootings, says his analysis shows it's a better bet Melly -- not co-defendant Cortlen Henry -- fired the fatal shots ... though he's not saying it with absolute certainty.

Remember ... when Melly and Henry were arrested and charged in the double murder of their friends, cops said their initial investigation determined Melly shot the men, and that he and Henry then staged the crime scene to look like a drive-by shooting.

Detective Williams says he reconstructed the shooting by looking at blood splatter and the angles of the bullet holes and gunshot wounds ... and it appears the shooter was seated in the backseat, behind the driver, and shot the victim from inside the car.

He also says the evidence shows the gun was fired no more than 8 inches from the victim's face.

Britney Spears' ex-husband Jason Alexander has made continuous attempts to connect with the singer in person, and showed up armed with a knife to her wedding ... according to cops.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office has filed an emergency protective order against Jason Alexander after the man showed up uninvited to Britney's home Thursday. The doc reads, in part, "(He) has continually trespassed on her property. Alexander advised multiple times no welcomed."

Cops say Alexander was armed with a knife when he crashed the wedding and made his way inside Britney's L.A. home.

The order states Jason must stay at least 100 yards away from both Sam and Britney as well as her home.

Britney's attorney, Mathew Rosengart, tells TMZ, "I want to thank Sergeant Cyrus Zadeh, Detective Ken Michaelson, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office for their prompt and good work and look forward to working with law enforcement to ensure Alexander is aggressively prosecuted and hopefully convicted. This was an outrageous security breach, which I am livid about, but fortunately, Britney is safe and she was a beautiful and happy bride."