Southern California

Young Jeezy Arrested in Investigation into Shooting at Wiz Khalifa Concert

Arrest of rapper and five others follows the fatal backstage shooting of a 38-year-old Bay Area man backstage at the Under the Influence of Music tour stop in Mountain View

Rapper Young Jeezy has been arrested in Southern California on weapons charges by police investigating a deadly shooting at Wiz Khalifa's Friday night concert in the Bay Area, police said Monday.

The rapper, whose real name is Jay Jenkins, was arrested along with five other people after Irvine police officers executed a search warrant on his tour bus Sunday night at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine.

Also arrested were Kena Marshall, Peter Maynard, David Kuniansky-Altman, William Gilmore and Alexa Beason, police said.

A publicist for Young Jeezy could not immediately be reached Monday.

The six arrests follow Friday's deadly shooting of a man backstage at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, where Wiz Khalifa and Jeezy both performed Friday.

At 11:05 p.m. Friday, police responded to many calls about shots fired at the concert venue at 1 Amphitheatre Parkway. Eric Johnson, 38, of Orinda, was pronounced dead at a hospital after being shot multiple times, police said.

NBC Bay Area spoke to a man Monday night who has been working backstage at local venues for many years. He did not want his identity revealed, and he said if you have the right pass--a guest, VIP, or working crew pass--the backstage is all yours.

"I would say more often than not, no one is back there to make sure the correct people are back there," he said.

"They can walk through that back gate undeterred," he added.

Security at many venues, including Shoreline Amphitheatre, is provided by private security, not the local police department.

No one has been arrested in connection with Johnson's death, according to police.

Young Jeezy and Wiz Khalifa were on the road together as part of the Under the Influence of Music tour.

Mountain View police are requesting assistance from any witnesses to Friday's shooting, including those with any video, photos of the shooting or the moments leading up to it in the backstage area of Shoreline, police said.

Bay City News contributed to this report.
 

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