Crime

Jadakiss is torn up over Young Dolph getting gunned down ... he says hip-hop culture needs to stop killing its own artists, and the violence needs to end ASAP.

We got the "Why" rapper at Madison Square Garden and asked him how he's coping after the murder of Young Dolph -- an artist he's worked with in the past.

Jadakiss says the whole thing is very sad and he's tired of seeing hip-hop artists dying way too young, especially when it's because of violence or some old beef.

As we reported ... Dolph was shot and killed Wednesday in his hometown of Memphis while getting cookies from one of his favorite spots. His life was taken moments before he intended to hand out Thanksgiving turkeys in his old neighborhood.

Jadakiss says the whole thing is tragic and emblematic of a larger problem in the hip-hop community ... and he wants things to change STAT.

Fans hoping to pay tribute to Young Dolph at the site he was gunned down were faced with a life-threatening situation of their own when someone opened fire near the memorial.

In a video from the scene, you see multiple people gathered outside Makeda's Cookies where a lot of balloons and flowers have amassed. Off-camera you hear the loud "pop" of a gunshot, and fans scatter from the scene in the clip from ABC24 Memphis.

Memphis police tell us they're currently on scene at a location about half a mile from the cookie shop where one man was shot ... he's in non-critical condition. Cops say they immediately detained two suspects, and a third was detained after a short chase.

The shooting comes one day after Dolph was shot and killed outside the cookie shop. In his murder, Dolph was ambushed by two men with weapons, murdering him in broad daylight.

Cops have not named any suspects or made any arrests in Dolph's killing, but have released images of both the suspects and their getaway cars.

As we reported, officers descended upon a nearby restaurant owned by Yo Gotti -- who Dolph has beef with -- shortly after the murder out of fear of retaliation. Yo Gotti has not been linked to the death in any way.

Memphis hoops coach Penny Hardaway says he's devastated by Young Dolph's murder -- explaining in an emotional video message Thursday he's hurting badly over the rapper's death.

"A guy that came from Memphis, 901 born, in the city all the time, giving back to his community," Hardaway said ... "to get murdered like that, it just doesn't sit well with me, man."

Dolph was killed inside of a local cookie shop in Memphis on Wednesday ... just minutes before he was set to give away Thanksgiving dinners in his old neighborhood.

Hardaway -- who was born in Memphis and has coached men's basketball at the university since 2018 -- is clearly angered by it all ... and flat-out floored this could happen in his hometown.

"We have to do better," Hardaway said. "This is a guy that was coming back to give back to his community."

"I just don't get it," he continued. "My condolences, my prayers, but we just as a people just have to do better."

No word yet on if Hardaway's program is planning to honor the slain 36-year-old at an upcoming game -- we've reached out to the school for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Cops say Zac Stacy is on the run following the brutal attack on his ex ... claiming the former NFL running back has fled the state of Florida in an attempt to avoid arrest.

The Oakland Police Department tells TMZ Sports ... officers responded to the domestic violence call "within two minutes" of Stacy's attack last Saturday -- but claim the 30-year-old had already left the scene when they arrived.

Per an OPD spokesperson, cops immediately launched a manhunt for Stacy -- but say they have yet to locate the ex-St. Louis Rams player.

"Efforts are underway to capture Stacy," the spokesperson said. "And we would urge him to turn himself in and face the criminal charges."

As we previously reported, Stacy exploded on his ex-girlfriend this past Saturday -- punching her and throwing her into a television in a terrifying altercation that was all captured on disturbing video.

The woman, who says she went to the hospital following the attack, miraculously avoided suffering any serious injuries.

Stacy, meanwhile, has already been dropped from his role as a youth football ambassador for the Music City Bowl this year ... and several NFL stars, including Davante Adams, have advocated for locking the guy up forever.

Julius Jones -- the man who Kim Kardashian has fought for -- will have his life spared, but remain behind bars.

Julius, whose case has gained national attention, will NOT be executed as was scheduled today ... instead, Oklahoma's Gov. Kevin Stitt is commuting Jones' death sentence to life without parole.

Stitt says he made the decision "after prayerful consideration and reviewing materials presented by all sides of this case."

The governor's decision falls in line with the recommendation from the Parole Board, who said Julius should not be executed but rather serve out a life sentence behind bars.

As you know ... JJ was charged and convicted for first-degree murder back in 2002, with prosecutors pinning him to the shooting death of 45-year-old Paul Howell.

Julius always maintained his innocence ... and there's been a lot made of the weak evidence in the case linking him to the murder, as well as racially charged undertones.

Kim's lobbied and advocated on Julius' behalf for a while, most recently reaching out to the Jones fam and shedding light on where things stood on his case.

Now, Julius is having his life spared.

New video shows Young Dolph in his final moments ... just down the street from the cookie store where he would be gunned down and killed.

As you know, Dolph was rolling around his hometown of Memphis Wednesday in his Corvette Stingray. It's a pretty distinct ride as it's camo-wrapped, and before he hit up Makeda's cookie store ... he stopped to fill up at a nearby gas station.

The video, shot by someone at a neighboring pump, momentarily shows Dolph in a yellow t-shirt, jeans and a ball cap.

Witnesses say the rapper went straight from the gas station to Makeda's where the gunmen opened fire with a pistol and an AK-47 ... killing Dolph.

As we first reported ... his next stop was supposed to be at his annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway in his old neighborhood.

Former NFL running back Zac Stacy brutally attacked the mother of his child, punching her in the head before slamming her into a television as their 5-month-old son sat feet away ... and the terrifying incident was captured on video.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the disturbing altercation happened at 30-year-old Stacy's ex-girlfriend's home in Florida on Saturday.

We're told Stacy became furious and aggressive with his ex during an argument ... and that's when video shows the former 5th-round pick swinging at her head before yanking her off a couch, tossing her across the room and into the TV.

The TV then falls on top of the woman as she tries to calm Stacy down ... but he throws an object at her and storms into a corner.

Throughout the video, you can hear the woman begging Stacy to stop.

We're told the woman called cops immediately after the altercation, but Stacy fled the scene before law enforcement was able to arrive.

We're also told the woman filed for a restraining order Monday -- for her and her son. In those docs, Stacy's ex claims the football player came over to her house around 2 PM on Saturday ... to see his son.

While there, she claims he flew into a jealous, violent rage.

"He punched me several times in the head! I begged him to stop because the baby was on the couch just a few feet from where he punched me," the woman wrote in the restraining order application.

She continued ... "He then picked me up and threw me into my TV. The TV began to fall and he turned to make sure I wasn't getting up. As I laid on the floor he began to yell at me, telling me I'm destructive. He then picked me up off the floor and off my feet and body slammed me into our son's bouncy seat."

That's when she says Stacy said "I love you" to their baby boy, and bolted. In the restraining order docs, the woman adds, "I fear for my life and my children's lives."

She says she went to the hospital, where she was treated for a possible head wound, as well as bumps and bruises.

Stacy was drafted out of Vanderbilt by St. Louis in 2013 ... and played 2 seasons for the Rams. He joined the New York Jets in 2015 ... and has been out of the league ever since.

The TransPerfect Music City Bowl has cut ties with Zac Stacy ... dropping the former NFL player from his role as a youth football ambassador after he was seen on video brutally attacking his ex-girlfriend.

The bowl -- which is set to go down on Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tenn. -- had partnered with the former Vanderbilt running back to promote the game as well as giving back to the local youth football community in the leadup to the matchup.

But, following his attack on his ex over the weekend, officials announced they're terminating all links to Stacy moving forward.

"Based on the video and domestic violence report regarding Zac Stacy," officials said in a statement, "the TransPerfect Music City Bowl has terminated the relationship with Zac Stacy effective immediately."

Stacy -- who won the 2012 Music City Bowl MVP when he played at Vandy -- had been hired by the bowl earlier this year.

As we previously reported, the former St. Louis Rams player violently attacked the mother of his 5-month-old son in her Florida home on Saturday -- right in front of their child.

The terrifying video of Zac Stacy attacking his ex-GF has the sports world outraged ... with players like NFL star Davante Adams calling for him to rot behind bars.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Stacy brutalized the mother of his child, punching her in the head before slamming her into a television as their 5-month-old son sat feet away during an incident over the weekend.

The Green Bay Packers receiver reacted to the story in a fiery tweet Thursday ... saying, "ZAC STACY NEED TO BE THROWN UNDER THE JAIL."

"Any man that puts his hands on a woman is a coward," he added. "Can’t believe what I just saw."

Chris Long -- who was Stacy's teammate with the St. Louis Rams -- expressed his disbelief ... saying, "Woke up to the Zac Stacy video. Made my stomach turn."

"Crazy to play w someone for a couple years & you have no idea what kind of bulls**t they do at home."

MMA star Uriah Hall was so upset over the vid, he even hinted at retaliating with violence of his own.

"Looking for a wife beater Zac Stacy anyone seen him?," Hall tweeted. "Looking to give an ass whooping on site !!!"

The gunmen who allegedly opened fire on Young Dolph, striking and killing the rapper at a Memphis cookie shop were brazen in their attack ... as shown in new images from the murder.

TMZ has obtained surveillance stills from Wednesday's shooting showing two men, with almost their entire bodies covered -- grey sweatpants, jackets, hat/hood and masks -- gunning Dolph down. One man appears to have a pistol and the other a Draco AK-47 pistol.

Cops were quick to the scene, blocking it off, but an employee at the cookie shop tells us the men immediately sped away in what is believed to be a lighter colored Mercedes after opening fire.

About an hour after Dolph's murder, more patrol cars and officers with weapons out stood guard outside Prive, a nearby restaurant owned by Yo Gotti. While Gotti has yet to be tied to the murder in any way, he and Dolph have beef that stems back several years.

Law enforcement sources told us employees at Prive called, concerned there may be some sort of retaliation against Gotti for Dolph's killing.

As of this post, police have still not named the suspects or made any arrests in connection to Dolph's murder.

Dolph's attorney and friend, Scott Hall, tells us the rapper was supposed to attend a charity turkey giveaway later in the day on Wednesday.

He was just 36.

Jacob Blake says race is absolutely at play in Kyle Rittenhouse's trial, arguing ... if the guy was not white, he'd very likely be thrown in prison without a second thought.

The man whose police-involved shooting sparked the Kenosha protests where Rittenhouse opened fire spoke to TMZ about the case -- and like many observing the trial, he believes the 18-year-old is about to skate due to white privilege.

We'll let JB speak for himself here, but the bottom line is ... if Rittenhouse were a POC, he'd swiftly be found guilty and wouldn't be hailed a hero.

As for why Blake thinks race is a factor -- he points to the now-infamous photo of Rittenhouse posing with guys in a bar after he'd posted bond, and flashing what many perceived as a white supremacy sign.

You gotta watch how he characterizes this because he's not labeling Rittenhouse as good or bad, but more as someone who had no business inserting himself in the Kenosha protests.

According to Jacob, all the aftermath following his shooting -- Kyle's saga, as well as the destruction in Kenosha -- is an unfortunate byproduct of what he considers the larger, unresolved, issues between police and POC.

Regardless of the jury's verdict for Rittenhouse ... Jacob says he hopes people will refrain from more rioting.

One final thing ... Jacob gave us an update on how he's doing personally, with his health, and otherwise. Sounds like he's getting unsolicited attention and celebrity, but in reality, he says he doesn't wanna be the poster child for any of this.

Police are apparently ready for any possible retaliation that may come in the wake of Young Dolph's murder ... standing outside the Memphis restaurant owned by Yo Gotti, one of Dolph's rivals.

Dolph was gunned down Wednesday outside a Memphis cookie store, and just a couple hours later, swarms of police cars were stationed outside Prive restaurant -- about 10 miles from where Dolph was killed.

It's currently unclear if there was an actual threat made against the restaurant, or if cops are just being proactive in preventing any possible payback. Dolph's killer is also unknown at this time, and there have been no public connections to Yo Gotti surrounding his murder.

A source at the cookie store where Dolph was shot told us a vehicle pulled up and opened fire, striking and killing the rapper.

As for their beef, the feud between Young Dolph and Yo Gotti has been percolating for years, including a tweet Dolph rattled off in 2016 saying, "Bra went from bein my #1 fan and wanting to sign me to bein my BIGGEST HATER." He also referred to Yo Gotti as "lame" multiple times during an interview with "The Breakfast Club."

Dolph's attorney and friend, Scott Hall, told us the rapper was scheduled to hand out turkeys Wednesday and stopped at the cookie store where he was killed before the charity event.

Henry Ruggs was just ordered to show up in court next Monday ... after a judge said the former Las Vegas Raiders star missed a required breath test.

The NFL player's attorneys were in court Wednesday over a separate matter in the DUI crash case ... when the judge presiding over the hearing said Ruggs did not properly submit a breath test earlier this month.

As part of the conditions of Ruggs' release ... the 22-year-old must submit to alcohol testing several times a day -- but the judge said he missed one of his required check-ins.

Ruggs' attorney, David Chesnoff, acknowledged the missed test ... but added that Ruggs had "self-tested" just minutes later.

"He's been dutiful," Chesnoff said. "Completely dutiful."

The judge didn't seem to care much though ... responding, "It doesn't matter. He still missed it so I would like to see your client."

The proceedings next Monday will be the first time Ruggs has been seen in public since he was in court on Nov. 3 -- the day after he crashed his Corvette into another car in Las Vegas, killing a woman and her dog.

At that hearing, in which Ruggs posted bond and was released from custody, the football player showed up in a wheelchair while wearing a neck brace.

As we previously reported, Ruggs has been hit with 5 charges -- including four felonies -- after authorities say he was drunk and speeding just before the fatal crash.

The so-called "QAnon Shaman" will be in prison for a while for his part in the Capitol riot from Jan. 6 -- the guy just got sentenced, and he's looking at a few years behind bars.

Jacob Chansley was handed 41 months Wednesday during sentencing, which comes out to about 3 years and change. The guy's been in federal custody this entire time.

Prosecutors were gunning for a lengthy prison stint here, as they wanted to set an example for those charged with felonies over this matter -- and now that Chansley's fate has been determined, it could be a sign of what's to come for others whose cases are still pending.

As we previously reported, Chansley struck a plea deal with prosecutors, who laid out a window of 41 to 51 months they said they'd recommend. The judge sentenced him on the lighter end of that bench.

As we reported ... Chansley -- who was one of the hundreds of people who stormed the Capitol, dressed in a bizarre Viking-style outfit -- pled guilty to obstructing an official proceeding before Congress ... this after initially being arrested for knowingly entering/remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, among other counts.

Chansley has griped about his living conditions while in jail ... including an alleged crappy diet, which he claimed was affecting his health. Nevertheless, he was never released on bond ... despite his repeated pleas.

Kim Kardashian has been a godsend to Julius Jones' family as they wait to hear from the Governor on if he'll live or die -- and even as the day grows closer, she's still checking in ... so says the man's own sibling.

Julius' sister, Antoinette Jones, tells TMZ ... Kim has been in touch with the family in recent days to see how they're holding up -- but more importantly, to get a pulse on how JJ himself is handling the dire situation.

She's even posted Instagram updates of late, shedding light on where things stand with Julius' case ... and, again, calling on Oklahoma's Gov. Kevin Stitt to do the right thing.

While it may come off as mere lip-service for some ... Antoinette tells us Kim's lobbying and advocating on her brother's behalf has meant the world to their family behind the scenes -- insisting she's a "real one" and actually cares about what happens here.

Not just that ... but Antoinette says Kim knows her stuff too, legally speaking -- and she's impressed the Joneses by her breadth of knowledge on the facts of the case and beyond.

Most influential, though, is Kim's massive cultural influence ... which Antoinette tells us has been immeasurable in putting a spotlight on Julius' story -- and which she says she and the rest of the fam are beyond grateful for ... regardless of what happens on Thursday when Julius is scheduled to be executed.

Quick note about that ... the Parole Board has recommended Julius should not be executed but rather serve out a life sentence behind bars ... but the ball has been in Governor Stitt's court with no movement ... and now, it's almost at the point of no return.

Considering the Gov. can still grant clemency in the 11th hour ... Antoinette is asking anybody with a following and some pull to lean in and help them get the word out about what they call a travesty of justice.

As you may know by now ... Julius was charged and convicted for first-degree murder way back in 2002 -- with prosecutors pinning him to the shooting death of 45-year-old Paul Howell. Julius has always maintained his innocence ... and much has been made about weak evidence in the case linking him to the crime, not to mention racially charged undertones.

Tamar Braxton is the latest victim of brazen burglars -- but instead of vowing vengeance ... she's actually sending them prayers.

The singer broke the startling news early Wednesday morning, saying ... "A few hours ago, this broken, bum ass man (one that I know) broke into my home and stole my safe only."

In her post, Tamar notes nothing else was taken -- including valuables like a Birkin bag or a computer or gaming systems -- and that the safe seemed to be the only item sought.

She also had a message for the perp ... "I want you to know first hand that I'm not angry. You did not break me. You did not violate me. What your broken ass don't realize that God gave me that home and every single thing in it during a pandemic, & also during the time when I was all of those things. God personally put the pieces of my life back together again."

She adds, "So pumpkin, you did not steal from me. Those things you took, he will give back to me a million times fold!!! You took from God!!!"

Tamar then got seriously Biblical, saying the crook isn't ready for the kind of vengeance God is about to drop on them. She closed with, "Father, have your way -- Amen."