Chinx Killed in Drive By Shooting in Queens
An up-and-coming rapper from Queens was killed in a drive-by shooting in his home borough early Sunday, the NYPD said.
Lionel Pickens, 31, who goes by the stage name Chinx, was shot multiple times, and a 27-year-old passenger in his Porsche was hit twice in the back, at about 4 a.m. at the intersection of Queens Boulevard and 84th Drive in Briarwood, cops said.
The shooter sped off while the rapper’s silver Porsche Panamera 4 rolled for about a block and came to a stop in front of a Dunkin’ Donuts. At least seven bullet holes pierced the front and rear driver-side windows.
Chinx was a member of French Montana’s Coke Boys group and record label. He also issued multiple independently produced mixtapes.
An employee at the Dunkin’ Donuts said Pickens looked lifeless in the driver seat when cops arrived at the scene. “The police came and they opened up the door,” said Bibekanada Das, who was working in the kitchen when the shooting occurred. “All you could see was the guy laid out in the seat.”
Emergency responders rushed both victims to Jamaica Hospital, where Pickens died and the younger man was listed in critical but stable condition, police said.
Pickens performed at around 2:30 a.m., shortly before the fatal shooting, at Club Red Wolf in Brooklyn.
“He was very good,” said Luis Lopez, 37, manager of the club. “He was here with four or five guys. Then he left. He didn’t fight with anyone.”
“I got the news by the (club) promoter. To be in my establishment and then … It’s crazy, man. It’s really crazy. I was shocked to hear the news,” Lopez added.
In 2009, Pickens released his first solo album, “Hurry Up & Die Vol. 1: Get Ya Casket On.” He was a member of French Montana’s Coke Boys group and record label.
His label and managers posted a picture of the rapper on Instagram and mourned his death.
“It is with a heavy heart that the Legion Media Group and 4 Kings Management announce the passing of Lionel ‘Chinx’ Pickens this morning,” an Instagram post by the Legion Media Group said. “Chinx’s dedication, humor and vision will always be remembered.
Pickens friends were struggling to understand what happened.
“He was a young kid that I watched grow up around the way. It hurts,” said Vasco Alder, 35, a childhood friend of the hip hop performer.
Pickens began rapping when he was in junior high in Far Rockaway.
But his career was stalled when he did four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to robbing an auto body shop and selling drugs. Upon his release, he developed ties to French Montana, the on-again off-again boyfriend of Khloe Kardashian.
Several hours after Chinx’s death, the reality star posted a collage of photos with the rapper on Instagram. “We’ve only known each other a short time but it was the best time, full of memories that I will cherish forever!” she said.
“Another brother gone without reaching his full potential,” Rob Kardashian said in one of two tweets. His other Twitter post included a photo of him with Chinx.
After the killing, an Instagram account with the tagline “gang worldwide” bragged about gunning down the rapper. The Teamshabbaofficial Instagram account posted pictures of guns and a photo of the bullet ridden Porsche.
But the Teamshabbaofficial page appears to be based in Sweden, according to a report.
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