Philadelphia rapper LGP QUA identified as man killed in Juniata Park shooting, police say
A man who was shot and killed in Juniata Park over the weekend was identified by police Monday as a rapper from North Philadelphia.
Philadelphia police said 30-year-old Qidere Johnson, who went by the stage name LGP QUA, was shot near M and East Luzerne streets on Sunday, May 11, around 4:40 p.m.
Johnson was taken to the hospital in a private vehicle after the shooting, police said, and was pronounced dead about 20 minutes after officers first got to the scene.
"There will never be another him. He was one of one," Ameer Barber, a community youth activist, said.
"With all this violence and all this drill music, we got a youth, we got a younger guy over here that's willing to talk about positivity with that same passion, that same aggression," he added.
Police do not have anyone in custody in connection with the shooting and haven't identified any potential suspects. Police added that it appears it may have been a robbery.
CBS News Philadelphia spoke with Johnson in 2019 about his music and growing popularity on a national stage.
Johnson, who spent time in prison in his early 20s, had this message to the city's young people: "Be you. Be different. Stand out. Don't be like a crowd."
Johnson's songs landed him a collaboration with Will.i.am, and he was given citations by the Philadelphia City Council after he donated nearly 1,000 pairs of shoes to Philadelphia school students through a partnership with Puma and Foot Locker.
Barber said he never got to work directly with Johnson, but the two connected on social media over their shared passion of helping young people.
"His legacy is going to live on," Barber said. "I'm going to make sure it lives on through what I do. I'm gonna try to implement as many, especially of his lyrics, I'm gonna try to teach the younger guys what his lyrics meant. How he was able to express himself through those lyrics and really tell you about Philadelphia but from a different avenue, and not about killing people but about how can we stop that."
Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill posted on his Instagram story that he's praying for Johnson's family after the fatal shooting.
Police are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with Johnson's death. Anyone with information on the shooting should contact police at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
