Rapper Offset Shot Outside Hollywood Casino After Altercation

Rapper Offset, born Kiari Kendrell Cephus and a founding member of the Atlanta hip-hop trio Migos, was shot Monday night outside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. He was in stable condition Tuesday with injuries police described as not life-threatening, a spokesperson said.

The shooting occurred in a valet area outside the casino, just north of Miami, following a physical altercation inside the property, the Seminole Police Department said in a statement. Officers detained two people. Police had not officially identified the victim as of Tuesday afternoon, though a spokesperson confirmed Offset was being treated at a hospital.

The incident carries regional weight: the Seminole Tribe of Florida operates casinos across the state, including Seminole Casino Coconut Creek in Broward County, and the tribe's gaming compact with Florida has long been a focus of state legislative debate. Violence at a Seminole-operated property draws scrutiny to gaming security protocols statewide.

Rapper Lil Tjay, identified by police as Tione Jayden Merritt, 24, was arrested in connection with the altercation that preceded the shooting. He was charged with disorderly conduct and operating a vehicle without a valid license. His attorney, Dawn M. Florio, said Lil Tjay did not possess a gun and faced no weapons-related charges. He posted bond and was released Tuesday afternoon, Florio said. A second person detained at the scene had not been charged, and investigators said they were working to identify others involved.

The shooting arrives at a grim moment in Offset's personal history. In November 2022, his cousin and Migos bandmate Takeoff was shot and killed outside a Houston bowling alley — an innocent bystander caught in a dispute over a dice game, police said. Offset's former wife, rapper Cardi B, filed for divorce in 2024; the two had married secretly in Atlanta in September 2017 and have three children together. Quavo, the third Migos member, hosted a gun violence summit in 2024 in the wake of Takeoff's death.

Offset released his third solo album, "Kiari," in 2025. No charges related to the shooting itself had been filed as of Tuesday evening, and the investigation remained active, police said.

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