A Toronto-area rapper and an associate who worked with a local music collective were both gunned down on the street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on June 30. A third person was wounded.
Police have identified the shooting victims as rapper Smoke Dawg and Koba Prime of the Prime music collective. The woman, who is expected to recover, has not been identified.
Smoke Dawg’s real name was Jahvante Smart. The 21-year-old performer was connected to the famous rapper Drake; the two had toured together in Europe in 2017.
Drake (Abrey Drake Graham) posted a eulogy for Smoke Dawg on social media.
Koba Prime, born Ernest "Kosi" Modekwe, was a 28-year old honors graduate from the University of Toronto, who worked as the brand manager at a local hip-hop collective called Prime.
Smoke Dawg was part of a rap conglomerate called Halal Gang.
Friends have set up GoFundMe pages to help both men’s families manage the funeral costs.
Daylight Shooting
Police are calling the incident a “brazen” daylight shooting. The pair was outside Cube Nightclub at Queen Street West and Peter Street in downtown Toronto shortly before 8 p.m. on June 30.
The street was packed with vacationers and revelers celebrating Canada Day weekend.
Witnesses reported hearing between five and ten gunshots, and said they saw at least two men fleeing.
At least two vehicles sped away from the scene immediately; a black SUV and a white Bentley.
A number of other cars drove off very shortly afterwards, possibly people not wanting to be involved in further violence or the subsequent investigation.
The scene was chaotic, and no one managed to spot any details about the shooters or their vehicles.
Smoke dawg and Koba prime were lying motionless on the pavement outside the club when police arrived. The other victim was found some distance away.
"Typically in scenes like this, we do find the victims in other places; either they are trying to get to the hospital or they are trying to flee the situation," Constable Hopkinson noted.
One of the two men was pronounced dead at the scene. The other died overnight in a local hospital.
Law enforcement closed part of Queen Street West so they could look for evidence and gather surveillance videos.