Man killed in freeway shooting was local rapper

A 37-year-old man killed in a freeway shooting early Saturday in San Diego was identified Wednesday as Martell Dean, a local rap artist who was known as OG YD.

Dean, of San Diego, and two others were in a car on south Interstate 805 near Imperial Avenue about 2:20 a.m. when he and one of the others were shot, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Video from OnScene TV shows officers and then paramedics performing CPR on Dean next to a white Dodge Charger stopped along the freeway shoulder. Nearby, a woman in distress screams and cries while a bloodied man crouches down along an embankment, with some kind of cloth wrapped around his upper arm. The video shows bullet holes on the driver’s side of the car, including in the windows and passenger door.

Dean died at a hospital. The other victim who was shot was expected to survive.

Dean was considered a promising rapper, according to hip hop news sites. His most popular track on YouTube was 2020’s “Came From Nothing,” at more than 7,000 views.

Some mourned his death on YouTube, with some users writing comments, including “Rest in peace,” on his videos.

CHP Officer Mary Bailey said Wednesday that investigators had not yet identified a suspect. She added that the investigation was ongoing.

Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to contact CHP investigators at (858) 6503600 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.