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Authorities Arrest Rapper For 10-Year-Old’s Murder After Nearly One Year On The Run

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John Oyewale Contributor
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Federal agents arrested a Virginian rapper in southern Virginia Tuesday over the fatal shooting of a 10-year-old male over 10 months after the incident, according to a statement released Thursday.

The U. S. Marshals arrested Hampton Roads rapper Tashawnda “23 Brazy” Nicole Drayton at a relative’s apartment in Boykins 314 days after the Aug. 9, 2023, shooting in Franklin that also injured a man, the U.S. Marshals Service said. The U.S. Marshals took over the responsibility of finding Drayton from the Franklin Police Department, according to the statement.

The relative answered the door and left when the U.S. Marshals arrived. Drayton surrendered soon after, the U.S. Marshals said.

Drayton, facing first-degree murder and related firearms charges, awaits an initial court appearance from within the Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Suffolk, the statement revealed. (RELATED: Police Charge Rapper Remy Ma’s Son With Murder)

“This complex investigation is another example of the tenacity and never-give-up attitude of Deputy U. S. Marshals and our state and local law enforcement partners,” reportedly said Senior Inspector Robert Bowers.”It is my hope the efforts of the investigators in this case will provide a small amount of comfort to the family of the victim in this case. ”

Police officers from the Virginia Beach Police Department, Norfolk Police Department, Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office, Newport News Police Department, and Hampton Police Department assisted the investigation as members of the U. S. Marshals-led Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.

The task force aims to reduce violence by arresting violent fugitives in the National Capital Region—Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C., according to the statement.