The older brother of rapper Too Short was shot and killed in Oakland this week during an attempted robbery, police said.
The shooting occurred around 7 a.m. Wednesday when the suspects tried to ram a vehicle into a building.
“The suspects arrived to the location,” Oakland Police Lt. Gloria Beltran told NBC Bay Area. “They attempted to force their way into the property. While they were attempting their way in, the victim stepped out, was confronted by the suspects. The suspects fired several rounds.”
The victim, identified as 61-year-old Wayne Shaw, was shot multiple times. He was transported to Highland Hospital where he later died.
Investigators said it’s unclear whether Shaw was targeted or if the incident was random.
Shaw was said to be protecting a marijuana grow operation in a warehouse where he’d been asleep in the moments before the shooting, reported San Francisco Fox affiliate KTVU.
A bullet-ridden Honda Civic, which had been stolen overnight, was found around the corner from the scene, a source told the station.
No arrests had been made as of Thursday.
Too Short is a pioneering West Coast rapper who rose to prominence in the 1980s and ’90s. Nicknamed The Godfather of Bay Area Hip-Hop, he’s known for his bestselling singles “Blow the Whistle” and “The Ghetto.”
The shooting of his brother took place not far from “Too $hort Way,” a street renamed after the 58-year-old rapper in 2022.
In a pair of Instagram videos posted Thursday, a teary-eyed Too Short referenced his brother’s death, saying he “ain’t really replying to a lot of texts or answering calls right now. I can’t.”