American rapper Young Dolph shot dead in hometown

American rapper Young Dolph was shot and killed in his hometown of Memphis while buying cookies.

American rapper Young Dolph was shot dead in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee on Wednesday, local time (Thursday AEDT).

As reported by TMZ, Young Dolph (real name Adolph Thornton, Jr.) was inside a local cookie store, Makeda’s Cookies, — apparently his favourite — when a vehicle pulled up and shots were fired through a front window, hitting the rapper.

According to his lawyer and friend, Scott Hall, Young Dolph was in town for his annual Thanksgiving giveaway, where he hands out a truckload of turkeys to people in the neighbourhood. He was planning to head there right after the cookie store.

Police have tweeted that so far there’s no information on the suspect, and stated that “this shooting is another example of the senseless gun violence we are experiencing locally and nationwide. Our hearts go out to the Thornton family and all who are affected by this horrific act of violence”.

Young Dolph attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2019 at Cobb Energy Centre. Image: Bennet Raglin/ Getty Images.

Apparently this isn’t the first time Young Dolph was the target of a shooting. In 2017 someone shot at his SUV over 100 times in Charlotte, NC. An arrest warrant was issued for another rapper, Blac Youngsta, over the incident, although charges were subsequently dropped.

Later that same year he was hit by multiple bullets outside a Hollywood store, which required surgery.

“The tragic shooting death of rap artist Young Dolph serves as another reminder of the pain that violent crime brings with it,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said in a statement.

“My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”