LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), a member-supported public media network. Hear our news on-air at our partner site:
An aspiring rapper has been identified as among the dead in a shooting and fiery crash that rocked the Las Vegas Strip early Thursday morning.
Kenneth Cherry Jr., who went by the name Kenny Clutch, was killed in the incident. Cherry was from Oakland, but lived in Las Vegas, according to L.A. Now.
Cherry's attorney, Vicki Greco, said her client didn't have a criminal record, though the Oakland Tribune reports Cherry had several gun-related charges on his record. She described the dad of two as "a good kid trying to make it and be a good father."
Photo via Kenny Clutch's Facebook page
The rapper was fatally shot in a car-to-car shooting on Las Vegas Boulevard. KTNV elaborates:
Las Vegas police said the occupants of a black Range Rover opened fire on two people in a Maserati, killing the driver and causing the car to speed through a red light at Flamingo and collided with the cab.
In a video for the song "Stay Schemin'" Cherry and fellow rapper Teej are seen in a Maserati on the Las Vegas strip boasting about their lifestyle. Cherry was in the Maserati that was riddled with bullets in the shooting; it is believed the Maserati in the video is the same one in Thursday's shooting and crash.
The incident began when the Maserati and the Range Rover left the Aria casino. Shots rang out from the Range Rover, causing the Maserati to go flying into the intersection at Flamingo Road. The Maserati struck a taxi, which exploded, killing the driver and occupant. Four other cars in the intersection were entangled in the fiery crash.
Cherry died at the hospital.
The hunt for the Range Rover continues. The Tribune reports:
Authorities in three neighboring states are on the lookout for the Range Rover Sport with dark tinted windows, black custom rims and paper car dealer ads in place of license plates. In Southern California, the California Highway Patrol alerted officers in at least three counties to be on the lookout for the vehicle.