Authorities in Tennessee are offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to the man suspected of fatally shooting rapper Young Dolph last year.
The Memphis Police Department issued a first-degree murder warrant for Justin Johnson, 23, the U.S. Marshals Service announced Wednesday.
Johnson already has an outstanding warrant for violating federal supervised release after a weapon offense, according to the statement from the U.S. Marshals Service.
"Since the issuance of the murder warrant, U.S. Marshals and MPD have been extensively searching for Johnson," the statement said.
He has been added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's "Most Wanted" list. He has ties to criminal gangs and should be considered armed and dangerous, authorities said.
Young Dolph, 36, whose name was Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was in Memphis for his annual turkey giveaway for Thanksgiving when he stopped at the well-known Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies bakery.
He was shot while inside the bakery and pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have said that they are looking for two people connected with the shooting.
Security footage showed two masked people in sweatshirts who appear to be wearing gloves and holding firearms.
It's unclear it police are still searching for a second suspect.
Young Dolph launched his career with a series of mixtapes beginning in 2008, moving up the hip-hop ranks and the Billboard charts in 2016 with gold-certified hits like “100 Shots,” while his 2020 album, “Rich Slave,” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
