Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta reality star Benzino-whose real name is Raymond Scott-is still recovering following gun shot wounds he sustained at his mother’s funeral procession Saturday.
As previously reported, Benzino’s nephew, 36-year-old Gia Scott, shot the former rapper while on Route 3 South in Duxbury, Mass.
Benzino said that he was on his way to Plymouth to pick up fellow reality co-star Stevie J when the shooting occurred.
Investigators say that Scott pulled his Bentley next to his uncle’s Red Dodge SUV and apparently shot seven to eight rounds-in which only two struck Benzino.
Benzino, 48, was rushed to South Shore Hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound to the arm. He was eventually declared to be in stable condition.
The Boston-native and current CEO of Hip-Hop Weekly magazine was released from the hospital Monday.
Benzino had privately paid his respects to his mother at a funeral home and “decided to skip the procession and funeral because of tensions in the family over money.”
He told TMZ during a phone interview that he’s unsure as to why his own nephew would want to harm him, but that there were persistent disputes within the family.
When asked if it was in connection to the mortgage surrounding his mother’s home, he obliquely states that it most likely had something to do with money issues.
View the interview here:
Scott, who was charged with armed assault with intent to murder, pleaded not guilty in Plymouth District Court Monday and additionally claimed that he was acting in self-defense.
“When the dust settles with respect to this case, it’s going to be abundantly clear that Mr. Scott, a licensed gun owner, was acting in self-defense and in defense of his family,” said Scott’s lawyer Jon Ciraulo.
Scott is currently being held without bail and is scheduled for a hearing Wednesday.
The courts will then determine if he is dangerous to society.
Image via YouTube