Nipsey Hussle’s trial got underway earlier in June and Monday’s (June 20) testimony found a second victim in the shooting of the iconic Los Angeles rapper taking the stand.
Per Rolling Stone, Shermi Villanueva, 47, recounted what he saw in Nipsey’s final moments after the alleged killer, Eric holder, pulled the trigger in the parking lot of Nip’s Marathon Clothing store.
“He shot me. He shot me,” the 47-year-old recalled Nipsey stating while he lay on the ground in a pool of blood following the shots allegedly let off by Holder.
“I heard it, and then I saw Nipsey fall,” Villanueva continued. “When I looked and see Nipsey, I started to run.”
After realizing he was shot in the sternum, Villanueva refused medical help on-site from paramedics, but his uncle, who was also talking to Nipsey prior to Holder approaching them, was shot in the lower back.
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“[My Uncle] was like, ‘I’m shot also.’ We were paying attention to Nipsey, and he was like, ‘I’m shot also,’” Villanueva said. “I told him, ‘Don’t move,’ because he said he was shot in his back, and it was possible he could have a spinal injury.”
Shermi also stated that he didn’t hear Holder say anything prior to shooting Nipsey, which would seem like a pre-meditated attack rather than the “heat of the moment” argument that Holder’s defense is arguing for.
Police believe a dispute between Holder and Nip broke out after the Los Angeles rhymer accused the assailant of being a snitch. An angered Holder left the scene and returned with the pair of weapons.
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“Nipsey was like, ‘Man, you know, they got some paperwork on you, you know. I haven’t read it, you know. Like you my bro, you know. Like maybe you need to take care of that, you know,’” a witness said to the grand jury in 2019.
Eric Holder was arrested on April 4, 2019 after allegedly shooting Hussle at least 10 times in front of his Marathon Clothing store on March 31, 2019.
Holder, 32, faces charges for one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and faces life in prison if convicted.
