LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lack of security allowed dozens of men to ambush rapper Drakeo Ruler, who was beaten and stabbed to death backstage at a Los Angeles music festival, his family and their lawyers said Thursday.
Draceo, 28, a famous West Coast rapper whose legal name is Darrell Caldwell, was stabbed to death on December 18 while he was backstage waiting to perform at the Once Upon a Time in LA festival at Exposition Park, which also featured Snoop Dogg. , Al Green and 50 Cent.
“How did these people go? How did these people get backstage access to the artist?” Tianna Perdue, mother of Caldwell’s 5-year-old son, spoke at a press conference announcing a planned wrongful death trial. “Where was who? Where was anyone who could help him?”
The video shown at the press conference showed the moments leading up to the stabbing, which his lawyers called “targeted killing”, showing men in red breaking into a fenced off backstage area and attacking Caldwell and his small entourage.
There are no guards or policemen to be seen. Caldwell, who suffered stab wounds to his neck, died a few hours later in hospital, authorities said.
Scott Dudelson via Getty Images
“Mr. Caldwell was lynched by 40 to 60 people,” attorney James Bryant said. “This would never have happened if these promoters had proper security protocol in place. The world has lost an amazing artist, a wonderful person, a father.”
Lawyers said they will file a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit on Monday against the festival’s promoters, which include Live Nation and Bobby Dee Presents.
The promoters did not directly respond to the allegations, saying in a statement that “Once Upon a Time in LA joins Draceo’s family, friends and fans in mourning his loss. The festival continues to support local authorities in their investigation as they uncover the facts.”
Live Nation was also the promoter of November’s Astroworld Music Festival in Houston, where 10 people were killed and hundreds injured when a large crowd surged during rapper Travis Scott’s performance.
Police said they were investigating Caldwell’s murder, but no arrests or suspects have been made in the past five weeks.
Music journalists and fans were thrilled by Caldwell’s unique sound, which combined the gangsta rap he grew up with in Los Angeles with an ironic and darkly comic sensibility.
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