Young Dolph Murder Suspect Apprehended in Indiana

The man suspected of gunning down Memphis rapper Young Dolph was apprehended Tuesday afternoon in Indiana, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed to Rolling Stone.

Justin Johnson, 23, was taken into custody around 3 p.m. local time following a “coordinated” manhunt by the U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, officials said.

U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller, Memphis Police Chief C. J. Davis, and Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich are expected to hold a joint press conference Wednesday to discuss the arrest and provide more details about the case.

Johnson, an aspiring rapper who goes by the stage name Straight Drop, is alleged to have shot Young Dolph while the revered Memphis musician, born Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr., was visiting Makeda’s Cookies near Memphis International Airport.

Authorities identified Johnson as a suspect late last Wednesday and said a first-degree murder warrant had been issued in the Young Dolph case by the Memphis Police Department.

Johnson also has an outstanding warrant for violation of federal supervised release in a weapons case and “has ties to organized criminal gangs,” a statement from Memphis Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.

Young Dolph’s aunt, Rita Myers, told Rolling Stone Jan. 5 that the family was still reeling from her nephew’s senseless slaying.

“Our family has suffered a tremendous loss, because he was the glue that held our family together,” Myers said of her nephew. “I’m still crying, day and night. We were very close. And it’s not just me, it’s the whole family. I couldn’t even say ‘Merry Christmas,’ or celebrate my birthday, or say ‘Happy New Year’ to anyone, because I don’t feel that. It’s like we lost a part of ourselves, and I can’t see an end to the suffering and hurt.”