LOS ANGELES, CA – The son of a well-known figure in the Los Angeles hip-hop community was shot and killed outside a smoke shop in South Los Angeles late Friday night, marking the latest tragedy in a family under federal investigation for alleged gang activity.
Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to the intersection of 69th Street and Figueroa Street at 11:11 p.m. Friday for reports of a shooting. The victim, described as a 34-year-old Black male, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The victim walked up to the suspect vehicle when an unknown suspect or suspects shot at him,” an LAPD spokesperson confirmed. The shooter or shooters then fled in an unknown direction, and no arrests have been made.
While LAPD has not officially identified the victim or confirmed whether the shooting was gang-related, multiple reports indicate the deceased is Jabari “Baby Uiie” Henley, son of Eugene “Big U” Henley. The elder Henley is the alleged former leader of the Rolling 60’s Neighborhood Crips gang and a hip-hop executive known for managing rapper Kurupt and the late Nipsey Hussle, who was also affiliated with the Rolling 60’s.
Eugene Henley has presented himself in recent years as an “OG” turned anti-gang activist, but he turned himself over to federal authorities in March following a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the Rolling 60’s. Federal prosecutors have alleged he required high-profile individuals visiting gang territory to “check in” with him or pay protection fees.
According to a federal affidavit charging Henley and seven others, the practice of “checking in” is widespread in the hip-hop community and has not significantly affected his standing in the industry. “If I was to describe Big U’s role in rap, he would definitely be the godfather,” rapper Wiz Khalifa said in the “Hip Hop Uncovered” docuseries, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The affidavit also charges Eugene Henley with kidnapping and robbery, and implicates him in the 2021 murder of young rapper Rayshawn Williams, though that was not listed in the formal charges. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in May.
“While Henley and other supporters attempt to persuade the public that the ‘check in’ provides safety and security for those who do so, he and the Big U Enterprise also manufacture the very danger they purport to protect against,” federal officials stated in court documents.
Eugene Henley’s other son, Daiyan, plays linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers. The family has not released a public statement regarding Jabari’s death.
Detectives are investigating whether Friday’s shooting is connected to the federal case or ongoing gang conflicts. Anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD’s homicide division.
