Rapper and reality TV star Benzino was en route to his mother’s funeral when his nephew allegedly opened fire at him from another car. According to the police and Benzino’s own Hip-Hop Weekly magazine, the violent encounter happened along a Massachusetts highway on Saturday.
In a statement released by the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, the 48-year-old record producer was driving a red SUV on Boston’s Route 3 before noon, when his 36-year-old nephew named Gai Scott pulled up next to Benzino’s vehicle and fired 7 to 8 shots. Benzino was headed for his mother, Mary A. Scott’s funeral Mass at St. Peter’s Church in Plymouth at the time of the shooting.
Authorities say that the two family members are involved in a long-standing feud, despite Benzino’s claim that he has no idea why his nephew shot him.
Hip-Hop Weekly reported that Benzino was hit on one arm and his back was grazed by one of the bullets. The magazine’s website featured photos of Benzino lying in his hospital bed and showing his bandaged left arm in a sling.
After the shooting, Benzino – whose real name is Raymond Scott – got out of his vehicle and was brought to the Duxbury Police Department, after which he was admitted to SouthShoreHospital in South Weymouth. A representative of the hospital reported on Sunday that Benzino was in good condition.
Police officers who responded to the scene spotted Benzino’s bullet hole-ridden red SUV in the middle of Route 3, and noticed a reddish substance that resembled blood inside the vehicle. Authorities added that they also found several shell casings and projectiles at the scene of the crime.
Gai Scott was taken into police custody and slapped with assault charges with intent to murder. His arraignment is scheduled on Monday in the Plymouth District Court. Gai’s attorney Jon Ciraulo has entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf, and has also stated that his client’s shooting was an act of self-defense.
Benzino has been discharged from the hospital, but the media has yet to get his comments regarding the assertions by his nephew’s camp. However, the elder Scott’s long-time attorney Martin K. Leppo responded on Benzino’s behalf by saying that the events that took place on the highway “doesn’t sound like self-defense” to him.
A Boston native, Benzino is well known for his role in the reality television series, Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta as Karlie Redd’s on-and-off boyfriend. He is also a former co-owner of the hip-hop magazine The Source, and a founding member of the American rap group Made Men.
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