LAPD Opens Internal Affairs Inquiry in Nipsey Hussle Murder Case

The Los Angeles Police Department has opened an internal affairs investigation regarding the woman who drove the getaway car with suspect Eric Holder in the shooting of Nipsey Hussle. Reports state that the unnamed woman went to the 77th Street station in regards to her car’s involvement, but was turned away by a desk officer who shrugged her off.

LAPD spokeswoman Captain Gisselle Espinoza confirmed that the matter is currently under administrative investigation, but no further details can be divulged at this time.

According to the unsealed transcripts from the grand jury hearing, she first saw a description of her car and license plate on the news. Her mother rang the police and was told to bring her daughter to the station in the morning to talk with detectives. When the woman showed up at the station, however, the desk officer disregarded her report, saying “don’t worry about it” and “don’t listen to the news.” She left the station but returned later to speak to detectives, after her mother called police for a second time.

Detective Cedric Washington testified that the woman was in fact turned away, “That is true according to the desk officer that I spoke to about it.” However, spokesman Josh Rubenstein mentioned to the Los Angeles Times that there didn’t seem to be any misconduct. “She was not making herself clear of what she was doing,” he said, adding that the desk officer initially believed the woman was simply reporting someone who recorded a video of her car on television. “OK. He apparently missed a briefing in the chief’s press conference that day, I guess,” Deputy District Attorney John McKinney also suggested.

In her testimony, the woman recalled her time with Holder on the day of Hussle’s shooting. She claimed that she and Holder had been casually dating for a month and were at the shopping center to eat and shop, spotting Hussle from the parking lot. She and other witnesses testified that Holder and Hussle, who both have ties to the Rollin’ 60s Crips, engaged in a regular conversation about “snitching” prior to the shooting. The rapper also allegedly recognized the suspect, referring to him by the nickname “Shitty.”

As the woman and Holder left the vicinity, he ordered her to drive around the block to which she refused, claiming that she was not going to allow him to “do a drive-by” in her car. Pulling out his semi-automatic gun, he instructed her to stay put in the lot between Slauson and 58th Place before exiting the vehicle to walk back to the shopping center. She reportedly heard two gun shots but decided not to leave in fear of Holder being either a witness to or the victim of a crime, but he quickly returned and threatened to slap her if she didn’t drive. The woman was unaware of Hussle’s murder until the evening, and news regarding Holder’s involvement did not materialize until much later.

In case you missed it, Hussle was posthumously honored with the Humanitarian Award and Best Male Hip-Hop Artist at the 2019 BET Awards.