Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk has been arrested on charges of ordering the murder of a rival in 2022. Federal prosecutors revealed that Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, was identified as “Co-Conspirator 1” in an indictment filed on October 17 against five other suspects linked to the case.
The arrest took place on Thursday, October 24, near an airport as Lil Durk was preparing to board a flight leaving the United States, according to a criminal complaint. A defense attorney for the rapper did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Lil Durk made his initial federal court appearance in the Southern District of Florida on Friday and is expected to be arraigned in Los Angeles in the coming weeks, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The indictment alleges that Lil Durk wanted a man identified as TB dead. Prosecutors claim that the other defendants tracked TB to Los Angeles and opened fire, utilizing a fully automatic weapon but mistakenly killed an associate named SR instead.
The conflict reportedly originated from a November 2020 incident at an Atlanta nightclub, where TB fatally shot another individual, leading Lil Durk to put a hit out on him in retaliation. The indictment states that this was one of several bounties Lil Durk had placed on individuals he sought to target.
In addition to his legal troubles, Lil Durk won the 2024 Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance for his song “All My Life” and released his ninth studio album on October 18, according to his social media accounts.
Credit: CNA