FBI probes ambush of rapper Offset outside Florida casino

The FBI is treating the shooting of Offset outside a Florida casino as a failed robbery that turned into gunfire in seconds. Investigators said a large group assaulted the rapper on April 6 at about 7:24 p.m. outside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, then one person fired a single shot that struck him in the leg as suspects tried to take his watch.

Because the casino sits on federally recognized Indian land, the FBI is leading the case with help from local law enforcement and the South Florida Violent Crime and Fugitive Task Force. The bureau has released surveillance images of the alleged subjects and the vehicles they used, and is asking anyone with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Investigators said the suspects fled in two Chevrolet SUVs, a matte gray Tahoe and a black Suburban, and split in different directions, one heading south toward Miami and the other toward Hollywood. That kind of quick breakup complicates the work of detectives who have to reconstruct a fast-moving street crime from camera footage, witness accounts and vehicle descriptions after the suspects disappear into traffic.

The attack briefly sidelined Offset, whose legal name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus. He was hospitalized and later released, and a spokesperson said he was up and walking. Less than a week later, on April 11, he returned to the stage at the University of Arkansas’s Rowfest, arriving in a wheelchair before standing for parts of the performance. He later said he was focused on his family, his recovery and getting back to the music.

The case has widened beyond one celebrity’s injury because it shows how public figures can become robbery targets in nightlife and casino settings where crowds, valuables and movement create opportunity. The FBI’s description suggests the immediate motive was theft, not an openly announced feud, and authorities have not publicly charged anyone with the shooting itself.

Two people were detained after the episode, but law enforcement has not publicly linked either one to the shooting. One of them was Lil Tjay, whose real name is Tione Jayden Merritt, who was arrested in connection with a separate altercation and later charged with disorderly conduct and operating a vehicle without a valid license. His lawyer denied he was involved in the shooting.