Crime & Safety
Brooklyn Rapper Fatally Shot Over Faltered Loyalty: DA
A Brooklyn man fatally shot a rapper who failed to stick up for him during a fight in 2017, the district attorney said.
FLATBUSH, NY — An East Flatbush man accused of fatally shooting a Brooklyn-based rapper who failed to stick up for him was sentenced to 15 years to life, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday.
James Oliver, 44, is accused of killing Darnell Pettway, 30, in 2017 on East 92nd Street between E New York Avenue and Rutland Road, according to Gonzalez.
Prosecutors say the shooting was spurred by a fight amongst friends.
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In December 2017, Oliver and Pettway were in a group drinking and gambling in East Flatbush when Oliver got into a fight with one of men over a stolen phone.
Pettway, a rapper known as "Mook Mula," did not step in and defend his Oliver — so Oliver grabbed a gun from his nearby apartment and shot Pettway multiple times in the chest.
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“This was a tragic and senseless shooting of a man who had his life and budding musical career tragically cut short," Gonzalez said in a news release.
After the shooting, Oliver fled to Pennsylvania and was arrested two years later after being busted for an unrelated crime, according to the district attorney.
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