Police in Sandy Springs, GA, a suburb north of Atlanta, are seeking two suspects in the Thursday evening shooting of 19-year-old Melvin Vernell, III, also known as “Lil’ Phat,” an artist on Louisiana-based rap label Trill Entertainment.
Police believe the incident happened at approximately 6:40pm last night. Vernell was found shot multiple times in a car parked on the second floor of a parking deck beside the Women’s Center of an area hospital. He was rushed to the hospital’s main area where he was pronounced dead soon after.
Police say they know of no connection between the shooting and the hospital or its Women’s Center.
Sandy Springs Police spokesman Capt. Steve Rose tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that police are searching for “two black males … seen running from the location at the time of the shooting.”
It is currently unclear whether surveillance cameras inside the parking deck captured anything useful.
As an artist on the Trill Entertainment roster, Lil’ Phat was labelmates with popular southern MCs Webbie, who is Phat’s older brother, and Lil’ Boosie. His most notable appearance was on the single “Independent” from Webbie’s 2007 album Savage Life 2.
RIP TO MY LIL BROTHER PHAT! LIFE SO FUCKED UP! TRILL4LIFE
— Webbie(@OfficialWebbie) June 8, 2012
RIP Lil Phat… bit.ly/KOjSRr
— Russell Simmons (@UncleRUSH) June 8, 2012
