Baltimore rapper Lor Scoota hosted an event calling for "peace in the streets"—and was fatally shot an hour later, reports the Washington Post. Authorities say Tyriece Travon Watson was driving home from a charity event at Morgan State University around 7pm Saturday when a black male wearing a white bandana stepped in front of his car at a busy intersection and shot him once in an apparently targeted attack, reports WBAL and the New York Daily News. Watson—known for his song "Bird Flu"—was taken to a hospital in critical condition but later died. Authorities haven't named a suspect or a possible motive but a police spokesman says the shooting after the event, in which rival rappers came together for the community, shows an "eerie irony that should just absolutely tick all of us off," per CNN.
Watson also donated his time reading to elementary school students and speaking to high schools kids about the need to stay in school. "A lot of young people knew him and looked up to him, and whatever he might've been doing in the past, it appears he was doing some things to change his life and use those experiences to help empower other young people in our city," a police rep says. Watson had previously been arrested for theft, robbery, and assault, reports the Baltimore Sun. "He was one of the voices of the city," says a record producer, "a young kid from a rough background who rose from the concrete but didn't get to quite blossom all the way." Artists Yo Gotti, Meek Mill, and The Game have honored Watson on social media. (Tweets from the Baltimore police union after the recent Freddy Gray verdict were slammed as insensitive.)