Rapper Lil TJay is recovering from surgery after being shot multiple times early Wednesday in New Jersey.
The 21-year-old, whose real name is Tione Merritt, and friend Antoine Boyd, 22, were shot during what police said was an attempted robbery. A third man, Jeffrey Valdez, 24, was not wounded.
Mohamed Konate, 27, was arrested hours later and charged with three counts of attempted murder, three counts of armed robbery, two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and one count of fourth-degree aggravated assault.
Boyd and Valdez were charged with unlawful possession of weapons.
In a June 8th tweet pinned at the top of Lil TJay's account, the rapper predicted: "Dis gon be a good summer…" (He was shot on the second day of the season.)
Lil Tjay released studio albums in 2019 and 2021 and his fourth EP is due out this year. He is featured on tracks by artists like The Kid LAROI (“Fade Away”), French Montana (“Slide”) and Pop Smoke (“War,” “Mood Swings”).
“Calling My Phone,” his 2021 collaboration with 6black, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and at No. 1 on the Canadian Hot 100.
Lil TJay was arrested in New York City in 2020 and charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of stolen property and unlawful possession of marijuana.