Nipsey Hussle Memorial Turns Chaotic, Vigil Marked By Stabbings, Violence

UPDATE: 12:15 a.m. EDT - Although an LAPD officer had earlier confirmed to multiple reporters that six people were stabbed in the violence that broke out at the memorial, LAPD media relations spokesperson Josh Rubenstein said they were unsure about the stabbings. Also, all injuries from the crowd were minor.

However, according to Slauson I.C., 19 people were hurt so far and the injuries ranged from gunshot wounds to injuries from stabbing or slashing, trampling and assault. Two of them were in critical condition and 14 of them suffered minor injuries. While some of them were treated at the scene, others were transported to a nearby hospital.

Meanwhile, two officers – a male and a female – were involved in a traffic collision at Crenshaw and 60th. They were reportedly back up units called to the area to manage the situation.

UPDATE: 12 a.m. EDT - The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed via Twitter that reports of shots being fired during Rapper Nipsey Hussle’s memorial, Monday night, were not accurate.

“Our men and women are on scene and making every effort to protect everyone in attendance at the Nipsey Hussle vigil. Reports of shots fired at the vigil do not appear to be accurate. We do have injured in the chaos and are attempting to restore order,” LAPD tweeted.

“The vigil didn't get shot up. I was right there against the wall of the juice spot. It was a fight and bottles broke so people thought it was shots ans [sic] started running. Now afterwards it got crazy cause some s--t went down in the intersection and some people were down,” Rapper El Prez, who was a witness at the scene, tweeted.

It was not clear exactly how many people were injured as a result of the chaos.

Original story:

Reports of gunfire at a vigil organized Monday for Rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was killed Sunday in a gang-related shooting at Hyde Park, Los Angeles, resulted in an atmosphere of panic and chaos leading people to an apparent stampede.

Los Angeles police officers, along with ambulances, rushed to the memorial site, where multiple people were reportedly injured. It was not clear whether the victims were shot or wounded in some other way. While one of them was injured in the gathering, another was hurt near the corner of Slauson and Crenshaw, CBS Los Angeles reported.

People heard a loud noise at 8:30 p.m. local time (11:30 p.m. EDT) and started running in all directions. There were also reports of a vehicle plowing through the crowd. Although the police could not confirm the reports of gunfire, they did confirm that at least six people were stabbed in the memorial. The nature of their injuries was not immediately known. One of the victims is in critical condition.

Police officers began telling people gathered there to disperse from the area, following the shooting. Despite the police using bullhorns to begin the dispersal process, not many people were budging from the memorial. As a result, the ambulances were facing difficulty getting in or out of the area. Police were waiting for backup.

There were also reports of glass candles - used to pay tribute to the rapper - rocks and bottles being thrown at the police officers present at the scene. None of the officers were seriously injured as all of them were wearing body armor. The scene was covered with broken shards of glass.

“Nah this shit ain’t no joke. Everyone be safe out here! Shots were just fired by the marathon store on Slauson & Crenshaw!!! 3 people claimed to be on the floor,” tweeted one of the witnesses at the scene.

This is a developing story.