The man, Eric R. Holder Jr., 29, was arrested Tuesday, two days after Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot while standing outside a store he owned in South Los Angeles with two other men. Prosecutors charged Holder with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
If convicted, Holder would face a maximum sentence of life in prison. He pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment on Thursday, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office said.
Holder’s defense lawyer, Chris Darden, declined to comment.
According to video evidence cited by the police, Holder walked up to Nipsey Hussle and the two men who were with him several times before leaving and returning with a handgun. He fired several times before fleeing in a white Chevy Cruze that was driven by an unidentified woman.
The chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, Michel R. Moore, said at a news conference Tuesday that investigators believed the shooting was rooted in a personal dispute between Nipsey Hussle and Holder. Moore said that Holder was believed to be a member of a gang, but that the police did not think the shooting was related to gang rivalries.
The death of Nipsey Hussle, who was born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, prompted grief and outrage by residents in the Crenshaw neighborhood, where the rapper grew up and maintained a regular presence even after he became a successful artist. His fans held deep appreciation for his financial investment in the community, which has long struggled with violent crime, and saw him as a symbol of hope and self-improvement.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.