Kenneth Cherry Jr., a rapper from Oakland who goes by the name Kenny Clutch, has been identified as one of the victims of rolling shooting down the Las Vegas strip. Cherry, who had no criminal history according to his attorney, was killed when shots fired from a black Range Rover ripped through his Maserati as it was traveling down Las Vegas Boulevard.
According to the LA Times, the dispute began at the Aria hotel resort valet stand around 4:20 a.m. before it spilled out into the streets. After the Range Rover opened fire near the intersection of Harmon Ave, the Cherry's Maserati was hit several times before the vehicle sped through an intersection and struck a taxi cab, causing it to explode and killing the driver and passenger inside. Four other vehicles would crash into subsequent mess. Cherry was taken to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to injuries, but no others were injured in the shootout or crash.
Cherry had two children and was described by aunt Pat Sims of Oakland as "a very kind soul." "[T]he world has lost a good man," Sims told the Oakland Tribune. "I'm not saying he didn't have his faults, but he was very kind, especially to older people."
The Oakland Tribune also notes Cherry had several arrests in Oakland and Berkeley, including one conviction stemming from a gun charge in 2007.
Meanwhile, authorities are have started a three-state manhut for Cherry's shooter and his vehicle, described as a black Range Rover Sport "with dark tinted windows, black custom rims and paper car dealer ads in place of license plates." The Maserati, meanwhile, can be seen cruising the streets of Las Vegas in the video for "Stay Schemin'" in which Kenny Clutch and rapper Teej rap about the Las Vegas lifestyle:
The shooting happened only two blocks from Tupac Shakur was shot in 1996.
