The man accused of shooting Lil Tjay was after the rap star’s pricey jewels, investigators have revealed in a newly filed report.
The cops say Mohamed Konate, 27, was in a white BMW with his co-conspirators when they pulled up to the side of a red Dodge Durango at a shopping center in Edgewater, New Jersey.
The Durango contained Lil Tjay and two of his friends. Konate pulled a gun, pointed it at the trio, and demanded their jewelry.
Instead, a gun battle erupted.
Lil Tjay was hit, as was Konate, 27. Konate’s alleged co-conspirators took Konate to a hospital in New York City and dumped him off out front. He was treated for multiple gunshot wounds.
After being stabilized, Konate was arrested. The state charged the criminal with attempted murder, armed robbery, and weapons offenses for allegedly trying to kill Lil Tjay, the Bronx rapper whose real name is Tione Merritt.
Also included in the possible attempted murders are Konate’s associates, Jeffrey Valdez, 24, and Antoine Boyd, 22, from the Bronx. Boyd was also shot during the melee, but he is in stable condition.
Lil Tjay, who is signed to Columbia Records, is listed in “critical but stable condition” after being shot multiple times in the thoracic cavity, which contains the heart and lungs.
According to the latest update, the rapper has yet to regain consciousness.