Nipsey Hussle Shooting: Full Autopsy Report Released in Rapper’s Murder

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Nipsey Hussle performs onstage at the Warner Music Pre-Grammy Party at the NoMad Hotel on February 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

The full autopsy report in the 2019 shooting death of rapper Nipsey Hussle has been released by the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office. Nipsey Hussle was shot 11 times, according to the report obtained by Heavy on September 20, 2022. The report was released after Eric Ronald Holder Jr.’s first-degree murder conviction during a July trial in Los Angeles County court.

Nipsey Hussle, whose legal name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was killed on March 31, 2019, outside his clothing store in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Los Angeles. Hussle, 33, was rushed to the hospital and later died. He is survived by his partner, Lauren London, and his two children.

The medical examiner’s office said in April 2019 that the cause of Hussle’s death was gunshot wounds to the head and torso and that the manner of death was homicide. The 30-page report released in September 2022 does not include photos from Nipsey Hussle’s autopsy. His autopsy exam was completed on April 1, 2019, according to the report. Holder, then 29, was arrested on April 2, 2019. He is awaiting sentencing.

Nipsey Hussle Was Shot Once in the Head, Twice in the Chest, Once in the Back, Once in the Abdomen & Five Times in the Legs & Once in the Arms, the Autopsy Report Shows

Some details of the autopsy report were made public during Holder’s trial and graphic photos from the autopsy were shown as evidence. The full report is a public document, but it was not available from the medical examiner’s office until after the conclusion of the criminal investigation and court proceedings.

According to the report, Nipsey Hussle was shot in the head once, twice in the chest, once in the back, once in the abdomen and once in the right elbow. He was also shot twice in the right thigh, once in the left thigh, once in the back of his right thigh and in his foot, the report shows.

LA County Medical ExaminerAn excerpt from the autopsy report in the shooting death of rapper Nipsey Hussle.

Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Timothy Dutra wrote in his April 13, 2019, report, “It is my opinion that this 33-year-old man, Ermias Joseph Asghedom, died as a result of gunshot wounds of the head and torso.” According to the case report, the shooting happened at 3:20 p.m. while Nipsey Hussle and two other men were standing in the parking lot of the shopping center where his store is located when he was shot by a suspect who walked up, opened fire and fled on foot.

Paramedics found Nipsey Hussle suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and in full traumatic arrest and transported him to the ER, according to the report. He was not able to be resucitated at the hospital and was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m., the report states.

Eric Holder Will Be Sentenced on November 3, 2022

Apu Gomes/Pool via GettyEric Ronald Holder Jr. appears in court during the Nipsey Hussle murder trial at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, California on September 15, 2022.

Holder was convicted of first-degree murder on July 6, 2022. He was scheduled to be sentenced on September 19, but his sentencing hearing was postponed until November 3. Holder faces life in prison. He has been in custody since his 2019 arrest. He was also convicted of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm, but was found not guilty of two counts of attempted murder.

According to ABC News, Holder’s attorney, Aaron Jansen, said he plan to appeals the conviction. Jansen told the news station, “It was always going to be tough given the high profile circumstances surrounding the case. We are grateful that the jury agreed with us, in part, that the case was overcharged and voted to acquit Mr. Holder, Jr. of the two attempted murder charges.”

During his closing argument, Jansen said, according to CNN, “We told you that Mr. Holder Jr. did shoot Mr. Asghedom. We told you it was voluntary manslaughter and that he acted in a heat of passion. And we told you what that heat of passion that he acted on consisted of – it consisted of being called publicly a snitch by someone as famous as Nipsey Hussle and we believe that is what the evidence showed.”

Prosecutor John McKinney said during his closing, according to CNN, “We have a step by step methodically carried out plan to return to that parking lot and kill. It’s not done in the heat of passion, in fact, it’s done 10 minutes after the conversation, in fact it’s done after he shakes Nipsey Hussle’s hand.”