A D.C. rapper working at a marijuana gift shop was shot and killed during an armed robbery. Philip Prendergast, known as Phil Da Phuture, was shot while being robbed just before 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Hotbox on Georgia Avenue NW near Hamilton Street, police said, per NBC4 Washington.
Two armed men robbed the dispensary while the 41-year-old was working, police said. The two men are seen walking into the store with guns drawn in surveillance footage. In a press release, the Metropolitan Police Department said the men demanded property and money.
Videos by PopCulture.com
There was no resistance from the victims, but one of the suspects fired a gun, striking Prendergast. There was another victim who was not shot during the robbery and survived the incident. Afterward, the suspects fled the scene with property and money that they had stolen. Prendergast succumbed to his injuries at a hospital. He is known for such songs as “Stupid Dop Moves” and “Do What I Do.”
During a recent interview with FOX 5’s Shomari Stone, Prendergast’s mother said, “he was the most loving person there is, and the best friend you could ever have, the best person you could ever ask for for a friend.”
“It cuts deep,” friend Philip “Ade” Adetumbi told NBC4 Washington. “Phil was just one of those people that, you know, when he came in the room, the room was better.”
A couple of days after the murder, he says he is still in a state of disbelief. “I feel like he showed us, you know, you can come from where we’re from and make your mistakes and turn it around and be something positive and be an inspiration to others,” Adetumbi said.
He described his friend and labelmate as a kind, funny, and caring individual known for his infectious rhymes with a way of making people laugh. “We all saw from afar him, you know, building his life our and making himself better, working on himself and working on his business, and it’s horrible, man,” Adetumbi said.
D.C. police have released surveillance images of the suspects in the robbery. “Turn yourself in, because you’ll never have peace,” Adetumbi said. “You’ll never be able to have peace with this on your conscience, true peace.”
A total of $2,500 in cash was snatched up by the suspects, as well as $1,900 in cannabis products, according to the incident report. MPD is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for any information that can help apprehend the suspects.
