Reports that Canadian underground rapper Yung Drilla was shot dead inside a Jamaican villa have been thrown into doubt after local police said they could find no record of the alleged killing.
The Jamaica Constabulary Force has been unable to confirm the rapper’s death, identify the villa where the shooting supposedly occurred or establish a motive.
“We have been unable to confirm the fatal shooting or the exact location of the villa,” a representative of the Constabulary Communications Network, the JCF’s public-information arm, told Observer Online.
“We checked Montego Bay and the north coast, and we don’t have a definitive motive behind the shooting. It’s not showing up in our reports.”
Yung Drilla became the subject of widespread international attention on Monday after several media outlets and social-media pages claimed he had been killed while visiting Jamaica.
Early reports alleged that the artiste was shot inside a villa, although no precise location, police division or official account of the incident was provided.
Canadian websites swiftly declared the rapper dead, with one tribute reading: “Rest in peace, Yung Drilla. Our condolences go out to his family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time.”
However, the absence of a corresponding police report in Jamaica has cast a cloud of uncertainty over those claims.
Yung Drilla is best known for his links to Toronto’s Regent Park music scene and underground hip-hop tracks including Trap Lord and First Day Out.
Until Jamaican police, his family or an authorised representative provides confirmation, reports of his death remain unverified.
DancehallMag will provide further updates as information becomes available.
