Arrest made in killing of rapper Doe B in Alabama
Rapper Doe B is seen in this concert poster promoting a recent performance.
A man who police say had a dispute with Doe B has been charged with killing the rapper and a woman at an Alabama nightclub over the weekend.
Jason McWilliams, 25, turned himself in Sunday night to detectives who are investigating the shooting at the Centennial Hill Bar and Grill in Montgomery early Saturday.
Doe B, a 22-year-old Montgomery native whose real name is Glenn Thomas, and Kimbrele Johnson, a 21-year-old college student, died from gunshots, police said. Six other people were wounded.
"The circumstances surrounding the shooting were initially unknown, but further investigation indicates that the shooting stemmed from an ongoing dispute between McWilliams and Thomas," a Montgomery Police news release said Monday.
A patch over Doe B's right eye became the entertainer's trademark after he was wounded in a previous shooting, according to Billboard magazine.
Coincidentally, the mug shot of McWilliams, who is being held without bond on two counts of capital murder, showed the suspect wearing a black patch over his right eye.
On the cover of his new album, "Baby Jesus," a baby is pictured dressed like Doe B with the eye patch and with additional bullet wounds on the left arm.
The nightclub where Saturday's shooting happened got a reputation with city officials after a shooting there last year, which Montgomery media reported. Back then, it was called the Rose Supper Club, but it changed its name after the violence.
Montgomery's mayor shut the club down after the latest violence. The city had given Centennial Hill repeated warnings, Mayor Todd Strange said in a statement.
"I believe it is not a matter of 'if,' but 'when' the next tragic incident occurs at this business," Strange said. "That is unacceptable, and that is why we have ordered the business to be closed effective immediately."
Thomas had recently been on tour.
Colorful placards announcing his performances marked the path of his December concert rounds through his state and to Atlanta. He then returned to the club in his hometown, where his life was taken.
