By Ismael AbduSalaam
Chicago rap star Common was nearly a witness in a fatal shooting that has left one man dead and four people injured.
The incident occurred yesterday (October 27) afternoon near the intersection of 704 Fulton Street and South Oxford Street in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, NY.
According to eyewitness reports, two gunmen opened fire on a 19-year-old man who was waiting at the corner for the friend.
The man fled into a nearby hair salon, and was subsequently cornered and killed by the suspects.
In the fusillade of 30 shots, four innocent bystanders in the shop were hit including an off duty police officer.
Witnesses also allege one of the killers fired a coup de grace shot to the head to make sure the victim perished. Afterward, the suspects fled in a blue Chevrolet Tahoe.
Common, a regular of the establishment, had just received a hair cut hours before the murder, stated Dana Jeter, a representative for the star’s record label.
The brazen shooting comes as a shock to new residents of the recently gentrified Fort Greene, but recalls the 1980s and early to mid 1990s when the area was a ravaged by drugs, crime, and home to such infamous figures as the original 50 Cent aka Kelvin Martin.
No motive for the crime has been determined, although authorities are certain the victim was a scoped target and stalked before the actual shooting.
At press time, the two gunmen are still at large.
In related news, Common’s latest album Universal Mind Control lands in stores December 9.