Weapons & Guns

Fans hoping to pay tribute to Young Dolph at the site he was gunned down were faced with a life-threatening situation of their own when someone opened fire near the memorial.

In a video from the scene, you see multiple people gathered outside Makeda's Cookies where a lot of balloons and flowers have amassed. Off-camera you hear the loud "pop" of a gunshot, and fans scatter from the scene in the clip from ABC24 Memphis.

Memphis police tell us they're currently on scene at a location about half a mile from the cookie shop where one man was shot ... he's in non-critical condition. Cops say they immediately detained two suspects, and a third was detained after a short chase.

The shooting comes one day after Dolph was shot and killed outside the cookie shop. In his murder, Dolph was ambushed by two men with weapons, murdering him in broad daylight.

Cops have not named any suspects or made any arrests in Dolph's killing, but have released images of both the suspects and their getaway cars.

As we reported, officers descended upon a nearby restaurant owned by Yo Gotti -- who Dolph has beef with -- shortly after the murder out of fear of retaliation. Yo Gotti has not been linked to the death in any way.

New video shows Young Dolph in his final moments ... just down the street from the cookie store where he would be gunned down and killed.

As you know, Dolph was rolling around his hometown of Memphis Wednesday in his Corvette Stingray. It's a pretty distinct ride as it's camo-wrapped, and before he hit up Makeda's cookie store ... he stopped to fill up at a nearby gas station.

The video, shot by someone at a neighboring pump, momentarily shows Dolph in a yellow t-shirt, jeans and a ball cap.

Witnesses say the rapper went straight from the gas station to Makeda's where the gunmen opened fire with a pistol and an AK-47 ... killing Dolph.

As we first reported ... his next stop was supposed to be at his annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway in his old neighborhood.

The gunmen who allegedly opened fire on Young Dolph, striking and killing the rapper at a Memphis cookie shop were brazen in their attack ... as shown in new images from the murder.

TMZ has obtained surveillance stills from Wednesday's shooting showing two men, with almost their entire bodies covered -- grey sweatpants, jackets, hat/hood and masks -- gunning Dolph down. One man appears to have a pistol and the other a Draco AK-47 pistol.

Cops were quick to the scene, blocking it off, but an employee at the cookie shop tells us the men immediately sped away in what is believed to be a lighter colored Mercedes after opening fire.

About an hour after Dolph's murder, more patrol cars and officers with weapons out stood guard outside Prive, a nearby restaurant owned by Yo Gotti. While Gotti has yet to be tied to the murder in any way, he and Dolph have beef that stems back several years.

Law enforcement sources told us employees at Prive called, concerned there may be some sort of retaliation against Gotti for Dolph's killing.

As of this post, police have still not named the suspects or made any arrests in connection to Dolph's murder.

Dolph's attorney and friend, Scott Hall, tells us the rapper was supposed to attend a charity turkey giveaway later in the day on Wednesday.

He was just 36.

Jacob Blake says race is absolutely at play in Kyle Rittenhouse's trial, arguing ... if the guy was not white, he'd very likely be thrown in prison without a second thought.

The man whose police-involved shooting sparked the Kenosha protests where Rittenhouse opened fire spoke to TMZ about the case -- and like many observing the trial, he believes the 18-year-old is about to skate due to white privilege.

We'll let JB speak for himself here, but the bottom line is ... if Rittenhouse were a POC, he'd swiftly be found guilty and wouldn't be hailed a hero.

As for why Blake thinks race is a factor -- he points to the now-infamous photo of Rittenhouse posing with guys in a bar after he'd posted bond, and flashing what many perceived as a white supremacy sign.

You gotta watch how he characterizes this because he's not labeling Rittenhouse as good or bad, but more as someone who had no business inserting himself in the Kenosha protests.

According to Jacob, all the aftermath following his shooting -- Kyle's saga, as well as the destruction in Kenosha -- is an unfortunate byproduct of what he considers the larger, unresolved, issues between police and POC.

Regardless of the jury's verdict for Rittenhouse ... Jacob says he hopes people will refrain from more rioting.

One final thing ... Jacob gave us an update on how he's doing personally, with his health, and otherwise. Sounds like he's getting unsolicited attention and celebrity, but in reality, he says he doesn't wanna be the poster child for any of this.

Police are apparently ready for any possible retaliation that may come in the wake of Young Dolph's murder ... standing outside the Memphis restaurant owned by Yo Gotti, one of Dolph's rivals.

Dolph was gunned down Wednesday outside a Memphis cookie store, and just a couple hours later, swarms of police cars were stationed outside Prive restaurant -- about 10 miles from where Dolph was killed.

It's currently unclear if there was an actual threat made against the restaurant, or if cops are just being proactive in preventing any possible payback. Dolph's killer is also unknown at this time, and there have been no public connections to Yo Gotti surrounding his murder.

A source at the cookie store where Dolph was shot told us a vehicle pulled up and opened fire, striking and killing the rapper.

As for their beef, the feud between Young Dolph and Yo Gotti has been percolating for years, including a tweet Dolph rattled off in 2016 saying, "Bra went from bein my #1 fan and wanting to sign me to bein my BIGGEST HATER." He also referred to Yo Gotti as "lame" multiple times during an interview with "The Breakfast Club."

Dolph's attorney and friend, Scott Hall, told us the rapper was scheduled to hand out turkeys Wednesday and stopped at the cookie store where he was killed before the charity event.

Young Dolph has been shot and killed in his hometown ... TMZ has confirmed.

The rapper was gunned down Wednesday in Memphis, TN outside a local cookie store ... and there's already a massive police presence with people recording the aftermath. A video from the crime scene shows his car parked outside the shop while police investigate. FOX13 Memphis was first to report Dolph's death.

A source says Dolph went into the store, and a vehicle pulled up, firing through a front window and striking the rapper.

Young Dolph has been targeted in the past ... back in 2017, he was struck by multiple bullets outside a shoe store in Hollywood, getting hit in the arms and buttocks, requiring surgery.

Earlier that same year, Dolph's SUV was shot at over 100 times while he was in Charlotte, NC in a shooting that saw an arrest warrant issued for Blac Youngsta, who later turned himself in. The charges against BY were eventually dropped.

As Dolph explained to us in the wake of that shooting, he dropped $600,000 for a pair of bulletproof vehicles and he chalked up the hail of gunfire to jealousy and hate because he's rich and successful.

Last time we got Dolph out was in 2019. He talked to our cameras about the Lakers and Juice WRLD's death.

Dolph leaves behind a son and a daughter. He was only 36.

He's known for several hits, such as "Major" and "On the River." He released 7 studio albums, starting in 2016 with his debut album, "King of Memphis."

George Clooney is speaking his piece on the fatal shooting that claimed Halyna Hutchins' life -- and he's torching the entire "Rust" crew over the tragedy, especially the assistant director.

The legendary actor weighed in while he was on Marc Maron's 'WTF' podcast and he didn't hold back one bit ... lighting up AD Dave Halls, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and the producers at large, who he says clearly skimped.

GC's biggest gripe is the gun that was handed to Alec should never have been handled by Halls ... but rather, Hannah herself or the head prop master.

George says there's been strict protocol for gun use on every set he's been on, and notes ... the protocol was grossly violated on "Rust," going on to say he's never even heard of the term "cold gun" -- while labeling the whole saga "insane" and "infuriating."

Now, while Mr. Clooney stops short of criticizing Alec Baldwin directly -- whom he says he doesn't know well -- he does make a stark comparison in how he's dealt with guns on set, and how AB apparently did.

George explains that anytime he's used a gun on camera, he's always checked it himself -- and does so extensively too ... saying he opens it, examines the chamber, shows it to whoever he's pointing it too and even fires six times at the ground as a final safeguard.

According to Santa Fe authorities, Alec didn't do any of that -- and ended up pointing the gun at Halyna and director Joel Souza during a blocking setup, and firing.

There's more George touches on -- including the producers of this film allegedly cutting crucial corners that allowed for an unsafe environment to fester, which is unfathomable to him considering the tragedy that killed Brandon Lee in the '90s.

The prosecutor in the Kyle Rittenhouse case is drawing fire for pointing an AR-15 directly at the jury ... and critics are comparing his conduct to the fatal shooting on the "Rust" set.

Assistant D.A. Thomas Binger was in the middle of his closing argument Monday, when he tried to stage a re-enactment of the scene captured on drone video, just before Rittenhouse opened fire ... killing 2 and wounding a third.

Binger was trying to show the jury how ominous the 18-year-old defendant was on the streets of Kenosha back in August 2020 ... by grabbing the gun in open court and pointing squarely at the 18 people in the jury box ... 12 of whom were selected to decide the fate of Rittenhouse.

Binger violated the first rule of gun safety ... don't point the weapon at human beings just for show. As you know, one of the protocols broken on the "Rust" set was just that ... Baldwin was pointing the gun at the Assistant Director and the Cinematographer.

The demonstration drew the ire of a bunch of folks on social media ... "Rittenhouse prosecution DA points a gun at the jury, finger on the trigger, to give an example of what it looks like working with Alec Baldwin on a movie set."

Another wrote, "Binger and Alec Baldwin need to attend a firearms safety class taught by Kyle Rittenhouse." And, there's more ... "Prosecutor in Rittenhouse case aimed a gun with his finger on the trigger at the jury while saying someone was reckless with his gun."

Alec Baldwin is being made a scapegoat in the fatal "Rust" shooting because of political views ... at least according to his brother.

Daniel Baldwin appeared Monday on "The Domenick Nati Show" ... and during the radio hit, he said his brother should NOT be taking the blame for the fatal incident on set.

The way Daniel sees it ... Alec is being scapegoated because he's the big star with outspoken political views, making for an easy target.

Daniel says ... "You know Alec's got the name though doesn't he, so let's go ahead and take Alec for his political views and the many, many wonderful things he's done for different charities and people and his wife and let's see if we can't sensationalize this and go after Alec."

DB adds ... "This is what he faces because he's opinionated and he's strong-headed and he has really staunch views on certain things and those people who don't like him will take advantage of him and persecute his wife. He's a target."

While Daniel doesn't go into Alec's political views, it's no secret Alec did not like Donald Trump, often imitating the former President on 'SNL,' and endorsing Barack Obama back in the day.

Remember ... one of the first to publicly pile on Alec was Donald Trump Jr., who posted t-shirts reading, "Guns don't kill people, Alec Baldwin kills people."

While it seems Don Jr.'s actions support Daniel's scapegoating theory, it's worth noting the District Attorney investigating the case in New Mexico, Mary Carmack-Altwies, is a Democrat.

Instead, Daniel says the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is responsible for the death of Halyna Hutchins ... along with assistant director Dave Halls.

In Daniel's eyes, Alec is exonerated by the fact folks on set told police Halls announced the gun he handed AB was "cold," meaning it did not have live ammunition.

As you know it was a fatal mistake ... the revolver in Alec's hands turned out to have live ammo.

Daniel says the buck stops with the armorer, but he's wondering why Halls said it was a "cold" gun if Halls didn't verify it ... and he thinks it's clear rules weren't being followed on set.

Daniel says Alec really liked Halyna and had spent some time with her family ... and we saw Alec with the family in the wake of the shooting.

No charges have been filed and no arrests have been made ... but Daniel believes when the dust settles AB won't be the one going to jail.

NFL linebacker Nigel Bradham -- who helped the Eagles win the 2018 Super Bowl -- was arrested Saturday ... after cops say they found guns and over 3 pounds of weed in his sports car.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, Bradham was pulled over in Leon County, Fla. after cops say the tag on his C8 Corvette did not belong to his car.

During the stop, officers say they noticed a strong smell of marijuana coming from his ride ... adding that Bradham told them he had a gun in the glove compartment as well.

Officers in the docs say Bradham told them he did not have his medical marijuana card on him, and cops say his name didn't show up in the registry. Officers then searched the vehicle -- and claim they found a huge amount of weed.

Cops say Bradham had "10 small plastic bags with marijuana in them" inside a satchel that also contained a Smith & Wesson pistol in it.

Officers also say when they searched the trunk of the Corvette, they found two more "large bags" of weed -- and say, in total, they located 3.45 lbs of marijuana in Bradham's car.

In the docs, cops also say the search on the gun in Bradham's glovebox, a Glock 23, came back as stolen in Missouri.

Bradham was eventually arrested and booked on three felonies -- possessing marijuana with the intent to sell, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of marijuana over 20 grams.

Court records show he posted bond on Sunday.

Sean Kingston allegedly punched and pulled a firearm on a music video director who had been staying in his home ... and we're told cops are now involved.

The music video director, who works under the handle GXDLIKE, tells TMZ ... he had been working and living at Sean's Los Angeles-area home for about 3 months when Sean allegedly assaulted him.

The guy claims Sean summoned him from the downstairs area of the home around 2 AM on Nov. 5 and wanted him to film something for the singer, but he says his phone was dead. He claims he then went downstairs to grab his camera and returned upstairs, but couldn't remember the name of the app to transfer the files.

The music video director alleges Sean got frustrated and punched him in the face, then dragged him into the hallway and pulled out a firearm ... telling him to pack up and get out. Law enforcement sources confirm that GXDLIKE has filed a police report with the LAPD for the incident.

The director claims the alleged attack left him with cuts on his face, but no major injuries.

The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial did something that, on its face, seems pure and patriotic -- but, arguably it could also, unjustly, impact the outcome of the trial.

Judge Bruce Schroeder opened proceedings Thursday in Kenosha, WI by saying he wanted to take a moment to recognize Veterans Day. He asked if there were any military vets on the jury, or anywhere in the courtroom.

Only one person responded ... John Black, a member of Rittenhouse's defense team. Judge Schroeder then asked everyone in court to applaud Black for his service, which they did.

Now, it's Veterans Day and no one's saying Black doesn't deserve the respect. The issue here is ... because Black is the defense's use-of-force expert, should the judge solicit applause for him???

The questionable move by Judge Schroeder comes a couple of days after he ripped into the prosecutor for raising the fact Rittenhouse was silent after his arrest to jurors ... which they could read as a sign of guilt.

To be fair ... anyone with a passing knowledge of law knows you have a right to remain silent, so the prosecutor earned that tongue-lashing.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed -- the armorer for "Rust" -- is doubling down, claiming she was targeted for sabotage and she thinks she's now being framed ... this according to her lawyer.

Gutierrez-Reed's attorney Jason Bowles tells TMZ ... "We are convinced that this was sabotage and Hannah is being framed." This is a step beyond what Bowles said earlier in the week ... he alleged sabotage, but didn't say it was targeted at his client.

But, Bowles wasn't done ... he added, "We believe that the scene was tampered with as well before the police arrived."

It's interesting ... this comes hours after the D.A. scoffed at the sabotage claim, saying no such evidence has surfaced.

Hannah's lawyer says his client met with Santa Fe County Deputy Sherriff's Tuesday, providing a full interview and continuing to cooperate.

Her legal team says more info keeps coming out that the D.A. needs to investigate, and they want the D.A. and FBI to get to the bottom of what happened with the live rounds they claim ended up in the "dummies" box.

Of course, there's another explanation ... that someone was target practicing during the lunch break and failed to take the live ammo out of the chamber.

The key gaffer on "Rust" is now taking legal action against Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and Dave Halls ... suing them over the fatal shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins.

Serge Svetnoy just filed suit against the above-mentioned individuals -- as well as others -- claiming the defendants' alleged negligence caused him severe emotional distress in the aftermath of it all.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Svetnoy claims the bullet that struck both Hutchins and director Joel Souza actually zoomed by and nearly hit him too. Not just that, but the gaffer claims he was one of the first people on hand to tend to Halyna while she was profusely bleeding ... attempting to comfort her and keep her conscious.

As for why he's suing Baldwin, the suit claims he "owed a duty to the Plaintiff and other crew members and actors on the 'Rust' set to handle the Colt Revolver provided to him by defendant Halls with reasonable care and diligence for the safety of 'Rust' cast and crew." It goes on to say, "This duty called for Defendant Baldwin to double-check the Colt Revolver with Halls upon being handled to ensure that it did not contain live ammunition."

And, it goes on ... "This duty further called for him [Baldwin] to handle the Colt Revolver as if it was loaded and to refrain from pointing it at anyone." In other words, the suit claims negligence on Baldwin's part.

And, there's this ... according to the lawsuit, the scene Baldwin was rehearsing did not call for him to pull the trigger. According to the lawsuit, the scene called for Baldwin to draw the gun and point it in the general direction of the camera, but, "the scene did not call for Defendant Baldwin to shoot the Colt Revolver."

The suit also claims Baldwin was negligent as a producer on "Rust," saying, "... they attempted to save money by hiring an insufficient number of crew members to safely handle the props and firearms ..." It goes on to claim there were other lapses on the set, including violating industry norms, declining requests for weapons training days, failing to allow proper time to allow for gunfire, failing to send out safety bulletins and spreading the staff too thin.

The suit also claims the target practice that was going on shortly before the tragedy was "outrageous."

Svetnoy says he'd known Halyna for 5 years and considered her a good friend.

The ordeal was absolutely traumatic, so says Svetnoy, and has since left him in utter mental anguish ... to the point he feels he might not ever be able to get over it.

Terrence J told cops he escaped what appears to be an attempted robbery just outside his home ... and he also says the alleged suspects fired shots at him.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actor and TV host was pulling into his driveway in Sherman Oaks around 3 AM when another car pulled up with 4 Black men inside, one of whom ordered Terrence out of his car.

We're told he refused the command, and took off in his car -- and Terrence told cops the suspects chased him and fired at his car ... before they fled.

Our sources say Terrence, who hosts shows on BET and MTV, then flagged down a passing California Highway Patrol car, who called the LAPD.

The D.A. heading up the investigation into the fatal "Rust" shooting seems sure of one thing, but says the biggest mystery remains unsolved -- how live ammo ended up on the set.

Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies talked to 'GMA' Wednesday to answer about the ongoing investigation into how Halyna Hutchins ended getting shot and killed, and had to admit she still doesn't have much clarity about the live ammunition.

However, she did acknowledge there were multiple live bullets -- beyond the one that killed Halyna -- found on set ... just one of the "Rust" conditions she found alarming.

One thing she did appear ready to dispel was the notion that sabotage might've been at play -- a theory floated by head armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's, own legal team just a week ago.

Check out how the D.A. responds ... while she says there's no evidence thus far to suggest anything like that occurred, Carmack-Atlwies doesn't completely rule it out as a possibility -- nor does she look the other way on what potential sabotage could mean criminally.

Indeed, if the evidence supported any sort of purposeful intent behind bringing bullets on set and/or mixing them into the box of dummy rounds Gutierrez-Reed dipped into to load Alec Baldwin's gun ... the D.A. says a higher murder charge could be on the table.

Like she noted the last time she held a press conference ... no one's off the table at this point as far as possible charges, and she reaffirms here.