Six masked gunmen fired more than 50 shots in an ambush that killed Chicago drill rapper BloodHound Q50 at a Fuller Park gas station early Sunday, according to a preliminary Chicago police report. No arrests have been made.
The rapper, born Mikquale T. Cooper, was 22. He was in the driver’s seat of a white 2019 Tesla at a BP station at 4248 South Wentworth Avenue when two carloads of gunmen opened fire just before 4 a.m., according to the Chicago Police Department. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his cause of death multiple gunshot wounds and classified the manner of death as homicide.
Accounts differed on the make of one of the two vehicles involved. Police sources cited by CWB Chicago described the vehicles as a black Acura sedan and a silver Honda Accord, while the Chicago Sun-Times, as reported by TMZ, described them as a black Infiniti and a silver Honda Accord. That discrepancy in the first vehicle’s make had not been resolved as of the latest reporting.
What We Know So Far
According to the Sun-Times account, Cooper had just arrived at the gas station when a vehicle carrying two masked individuals pulled up alongside him, while a second vehicle carrying four people arrived separately at another pump around the same time. Cooper and a 29-year-old female passenger went inside the store, during which one of the masked individuals reportedly retrieved objects from inside the second vehicle. The woman then left the store, drove the Tesla to the store entrance, and got out to let Cooper take the driver’s seat. Police say that is when the six suspects made their move.
Two gunmen from the first vehicle and four from the second approached the Tesla and opened fire, striking Cooper in the chest and shoulder, according to the Sun-Times report. Chicago Fire Department personnel responded to the scene, and Cooper was pronounced dead at approximately 4:35 a.m. Police said gunfire also damaged nearby buildings and other vehicles at the station.
The gunmen fled in both vehicles, heading onto the southbound Dan Ryan Expressway, according to CWB Chicago, citing police. An officer who reviewed surveillance footage said four of the shooters wore all black clothing, while one wore a green hoodie and another wore a black hoodie. A law enforcement source told CWB Chicago that a gun was recovered from Cooper at the scene, a detail not mentioned in the Sun-Times account.
Cooper’s most recent major releases included last year’s “Long Live My Brudda He Prolly Kilt Yo Brudda” and the more recently released “Get Back Or Die Trying.”
Why This Matters
The scale and coordination of the ambush, involving six armed individuals split across two vehicles and more than 50 rounds fired, points to a planned attack rather than a spontaneous confrontation, a characteristic that is likely to shape how investigators approach identifying a motive and suspects. The detail that one of the gunmen retrieved items from a vehicle before the shooting, combined with the apparent wait for Cooper to return to the driver’s seat, suggests the attackers may have been monitoring the scene and timing their approach deliberately.
Cooper’s death adds to a broader pattern of violence that has affected multiple rising drill rap artists in Chicago in recent years, a trend that has drawn periodic attention to the intersection of the genre’s public profile and real world violence affecting its performers, though authorities have not indicated whether Cooper’s music or public persona played any role in the attack.
What Happens Next
The investigation remains ongoing, with no arrests made as of the latest reporting. Police have not released information about a possible motive or the identities of the six suspects.
Given the detailed surveillance footage reportedly reviewed by investigators, including descriptions of the suspects’ clothing, further leads may develop as the Chicago Police Department continues its investigation. Authorities have not indicated when additional details might be released.
Reporting drawn from CWB Chicago and TMZ via the Chicago Sun-Times
