Lil Tjay Is Still in the Hospital — What Happened to the Rapper?
Published June 27 2022, 9:30 a.m. ET
On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, "True 2 Myself" rapper Lil Tjay (aka Tione Jayden Merritt) and a friend named Antoine Boyd were shot during an armed robbery taking place at The Promenade, a shopping center in Edgewater, N.J. The incident occurred after midnight.
Lil Tjay underwent emergency surgery. Several health updates seem to have been issued since then, but social media users continue to spread false information about Lil Tjay's current condition.
What happened to Lil Tjay? Is Lil Tjay paralyzed?
Lil Tjay suffered multiple gunshot wounds during a robbery taking place shortly after midnight on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.
Some social media users seem to believe that the rapper has already been pronounced brain dead and that the incident left him paralyzed. These have been debunked. Per TMZ, he was scheduled to have a CT scan. He has produced limited bodily movements since the shooting, the outlet previously stated.
"Yeah ... he hasn’t woken up since he got shot. Only his legs have moved. Other than that, no movement. They have to do a CT scan to see if he's brain-dead or if he's alive," tweeted @IHypnotiic.
Doctors can request CT scans for various reasons.
Per Mayo Clinic, these include: "[to] diagnose muscle and bone disorders, such as bone tumors and fractures," "[to] pinpoint the location of a tumor, infection, or blood clot," "[to] guide procedures such as surgery, biopsy, and radiation therapy," "[to] detect and monitor diseases and conditions such as cancer, heart disease, lung nodules, and liver masses," and "[to] detect internal injuries and internal bleeding," and others.
"Why is no one talking about how Lil Tjay has a 15 percent survival [rate], and if he does survive, he will be paralyzed?" tweeted @vazqwfn.
"Update on #BCPONJ & @EdgewaterPolice investigation in Edgewater N.J. shooting: per initial investigation, does not appear to be a random act, and one victim [has been] upgraded from a critical to a stable condition. Other admitted to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries [are] in good condition," tweeted Bergen County Prosecutor's Office on June 22, 2022.
Sources close to the matter have yet to address the rumors about the 15 percent survival chance.
One of the most reliable updates we have was issued by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, which states that one man, presumably Lil Tjay, was "upgraded from critical to stable condition".
What's more, the rumors are mostly spread by social media users like "I Love 6ix9ine." Their credibility as a resource can not be proven at this time.
Lil Tjay's alleged shooter, Mohamed Konate, got arrested shortly after the shooting.
Mohamed Konate, a 27-year-old man residing in Bronx, New York, was arrested for attempted murder, armed robbery, and weapons charges on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.
As a press release cited by People states, Konate was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree armed robbery, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree certain persons not to possess a firearm, and fourth-degree aggravated assault.
Antoine Boyd, and Jeffrey Valdez, the men who accompanied Lil Tjay on the night of the incident, were arrested for unlawful possession of a weapon, a press release by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office confirms.