L.A. Rapper Half Ounce Fatally Shot While Walking Down the Street – PEOPLE

Rapper Half Ounce is dead after being shot while walking down the street in Los Angeles.

In a news release shared on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Department said its Olympic division received “numerous radio calls of shots fired, with a man screaming, in the 700 block of South New Hampshire Avenue” around 11:30 p.m. local time.

Once police got to the scene, they found a man who had been shot in front of an apartment building. Paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department declared the victim dead at the scene.

The suspect is still at large after taking off in what police believe was a dark-colored SUV. He’s described as a Black male who was wearing dark clothing.

The L.A. County Coroner’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that the victim is 32-year-old Latauriisha O’Brien, known as rapper Half Ounce

Police sources told L.A.’s Fox 11 that O’Brien was walking down the street with a friend when he was shot.

An SUV had approached them, with someone in the passenger seat opening fire at O’Brien and his friend, who rushed away from the scene. Authorities are trying to find out who the friend is.

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Police also said that O’Brien was talking on the phone with his wife, who is pregnant with his fourth child, when the SUV pulled up. She heard him being shot and ran to the scene, according to Fox 11.

O’Brien is a father to two sons, 9 months and 2, as well as a daughter who is 8.

His relatives also told NBC4 that his fourth child is due in March 2023.

LAPD Lieutenant John Radtke added that authorities are combing through security footage and surveillance video captured by nearby homes, and trying to figure out why O’Brien and his friend were in the area when seven to 30 shots were fired.

O’Brien’s official Instagram page has nearly 15,000 followers.

His final post was a promotion for his upcoming song, “Drop The Ball”, which was set to be released on Oct. 14. In the comment section, many fans reacted to his death by posting dove and praying hands Emojis. He also released a song, “About It”, in March.