A man was arrested Wednesday after he shot rapper Lil Tjay and one of his friends during a robbery attempt near an Edgewater shopping plaza, authorities said.
Just after midnight, the Edgewater Police Department received multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired in the area of the plaza, 14 The Promenade, and when officers arrived they found 21-year-old Tione “Lil Tjay” Merritt with multiple gunshot wounds and his friend, 22-year-old Bronx resident Antoine Boyd, with a single gunshot wound, according to a statement from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
A third man, identified Wednesday night as Jeffrey Valdez, 24, of the Bronx, was also with Lil Tjay and Boyd, but was not shot.
An investigation revealed Mohamed Konate, 27, of New York, tried to rob the men and shot Lil Tjay and Valdez, the office said. It was unclear exactly where the men were shot, but investigators said earlier one man was found near a gas station less than a half mile away and another was found at the plaza itself.
It was unclear how serious Lil Tjay’s injuries were, but TMZ reported he was under going emergency surgery following the shooting. The office did not comment on the severity of his injuries or Boyd’s injuries.
Konate was later arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder, three counts of armed robbery, aggravated assault and weapons-related offenses, officials said. He was arrested by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the New York City Police Department, and his extradition to New Jersey was pending Wednesday night.
Valdez and Boy were both also found to be in possession of an unlawful weapon, and were each charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, the office said. They were taken to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
Lil Tjay rose to prominence in 2018 and has released two studio albums through Columbia Records since that time.
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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.