Rising rapper is held in slay at barbershop
Up-and-coming rapper Kay Flock has been charged with gunning downamanduringanargumentoutside a Harlem barbershop — though a tipster called the NYPD saying someone else pulled the trigger, prosecutors said.
The 18-year-old rapper, whose given name is Kevin Perez (photo), is charged with the Dec.
16 slaying of Oscar Hernandez, 24, on Amsterdam Ave. at W. 151st St.
Perez’s lawyer, Scott Leemon, said the tip — which prosecutors referenced in open court at his arraignment — needs to be investigated fully.
“We have begun our own investigation into these allegations. More importantly, considering the DA’s significant disclosure (Friday) morning that the NYPD received a tip saying someone else is the shooter, we demanded the DA’s office provide prompt disclosure of the videos referenced in the complaint and more information on the tip,” Leemon said.
Hernandez was sitting in a barber’s chair when Perez passed by, then opened the door and asked the victim what he was looking at, police said.
Hernandez then stepped outside to confront Perez, continuing to argue with him as he walked away, police said. Perez ended the argument by pulling a gun and shooting Perez in the neck and chest, police said.
The scene was caught on surveillance video, and a police officer from the 48th Precinct in the Bronx, where Perez lives, recognized him, according to a criminal complaint.
Hernandez was a member of the Bronx-based Thirdside Gang and investigators believe his shooting was gang-related, police sources said.
A male relative of the victim said Monday his family was getting ready to attend his funeral.
When asked if the arrest brought the family any peace, the relative said, “If it’s the right guy, yeah. Justice should be served.”
Perez remains held without bail on Rikers Island.
A newcomer on the New York drill rap scene, Perez was named as Billboard Magazine’s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month in November.
His first album, “The D.O.A. Tape,” was released by Capitol Records this year.
In an interview with XXL magazine earlier this month, the rapper said: “I’m a calm person. Everybody think I’m a mean person. I’m not a comfortable person. I don’t like getting comfortable, I’ll never get comfortable..”