The second location of Nipsey Hussle’s Marathon Burger restaurant had its grand opening yesterday in Long Beach, Calif. However, the opening was marred by a shooting outside the fast food chain’s perimeter, leaving one person dead and two injured.
According to an ABC7 Eyewitness news report, published on Monday (March 2), a shooting erupted outside of the perimeter of a second Marathon Burger grand opening in Long Beach, Calif., on Sunday night (March 1). About a half a block away from the grand opening event, multiple shots ranged out which sent hundreds of people running in every direction.
Police said three men were shot and rushed to a local hospital, where one person died. The two other men remained in stable condition.
XXL has reached out to the Long Beach Police Department in California for comment.
One eyewitness, Eric VanDyke, a relative of Nipsey Hussle, told ABC7 the shooting overshadowed an otherwise positive event for the community.
“It was disappointing because I know that Nip, (Blacc) Sam wanted this to be a happy occasion, so it’s unfortunate that something happened that would bring more attention to the negative elements as opposed to the positive elements,” he said.
Despite the tragic shooting, the opening of the second Marathon Burger was deemed a huge success with several celebrities pulling up to show their support for the restaurant, including Snoop Dogg, YG and even Stevie Wonder.
The gun violence came one day after city officials named the intersection of Slauson and Crenshaw “Nipsey Hussle Square,” in honor of the late rapper’s life and musical influence. The street dedication drew hundreds of fans to South Los Angeles in remembrance of Crenshaw Nip.
