Hammer Beanz, a resident of Providence, Rhode Island, is the latest rapper to be killed by gunshot. According to The Providence Journal, Hammer Beanz (real name James Owens) was identified as the 33-year-old man slain in a shooting on Saturday (December 11).
Officers rushed to his house at 10 p.m. local time and discovered him laying in the driveway with a gunshot wound, said to Maj. David Lapatin, who heads the department’s investigative branch. He was sent to Rhode Island Hospital and proclaimed dead shortly after.
As for it being a targeted hit, police said they “haven’t really nailed that down yet.” Lapatin added, “Either way, if it was somebody in the house, they know him. If somebody pulled up to the house, they’re looking for him. That’s why we say it’s a targeted shooting.”
“The availability of guns and the amount of firepower on our streets is simply unacceptable,” Elorza said. “As Mayor, I understand that our community needs and deserves to feel safe, and I will continue to do everything I can to work with our partners and leaders to address the causes of violence in our city.”
“I am troubled to hear of yet another young life taken by violence in the City of Providence,” said Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan, who represents the neighborhood where the shooting occurred.
Councilwoman Jo-Ann Ryan, who represents the area where the incident occurred, said she was “troubled to hear of yet another young life taken by violence in the City of Providence.
She continued, “We need to keep our neighborhoods safe. I have led the effort on the City Council to strengthen our police force through recruitment and training. We need more officers on the streets.”
While the aspirant artist’s murder is the city’s 23rd, it pales in contrast to Columbus, Ohio’s murder rate for 2021. KamNutty, a local rapper, was tragically shot in the 2300 block of Century Drive on Friday, December 10. It was the 187th homicide in the Ohio metropolis this year, and it came barely an hour after another guy was killed, the 188th homicide. The homicide has yet to be linked to a suspect or a motive.
