Los Angeles police department launched an internal affairs investigation into the Nipsey Hussle murder case after the woman who drove the getaway car was sent home after she tried to turn herself in.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the LAPD's Office of the Inspector General confirmed on Monday that the Internal Affairs Group is investigating a desk officer's response at the 77th Street station. Capt. Gisselle Espinoza, an LAPD spokeswoman, said that the matter is under administrative investigation now and she couldn't release more details.
Grand jury testimony shows that the woman who helped and drove the suspect, Eric R. Holder, away after the shooting, had gone to the station because her car and license plate were on the news.
"Oh, my God. My car is on here and everything, and I didn't do anything. I didn't know this boy (referring to suspect Holder) was gonna do this," she said.
The mother of the woman called the police the same night to enquire about her daughter, but was told that the cops wouldn't be available until 6 a.m. the next day, grand jury transcripts show.
When they arrived at the station the next morning, the front desk officer told the woman that "Don't worry about it" and "Don't listen to the news," the transcript shows. The woman left the station, returning later to speak to detectives after her mother called the police again.
Josh Rubenstein, an LAPD spokesman, told the Los Angeles Times last week and as cited by The Hollywood Reporter that there didn't appear to be any misconduct.
"She was not making herself clear of what she was doing," said Rubenstein, noting that the officer believed the woman was reporting the case that someone was just recording the video of her car on television.
A grand jury on May 9 returned to an indictment charging the 29-year-old Holder with murder, attempted murder and other felonies. Holder has pleaded not guilty.
The woman said that Holder was a friend of hers whom she had known for about a month and that she stopped at a shopping centre for food.
She saw Hussle standing outside his South Los Angeles clothing store. In excitement, the women took a picture with him.
After clicking pictures, the woman and Holder came out of the shopping centre and drove to a nearby gas station when Holder stopped the car and loaded a gun. He told the woman that he would be back and walked back to the shopping centre, the woman testified.
Later, she heard two gunshots, and Holder returned moments later telling her to drive.
Hussle, whose real name is Ermias Ashgedom, was a long-respected rapper who had just broken through with a Grammy-nominated album before he was shot and killed.
( With inputs from ANI )