The suspected shooter who gunned down Nipsey Hussle in South Los Angeles in March has been indicted by a grand jury.
The May 9 indictment was announced by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, May 21, after it had been unsealed.
Eric Holder was indicted on one count of murder, two counts each of attempted murder and assault with a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. Also in the indictment are allegations that Holder used a handgun and “caused great bodily injury and death,” assistant chief Greg Risling said in a statement.
During a Tuesday hearing on the matter, Holder pleaded not guilty to all charges. Bond is set at $6.53 million and Holder faces a probable maximum sentence of life in state prison if convicted.
He is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on June 18.
Holder is accused of fatally shooting Nipsey Hussle outside of his clothing store, Marathon Clothing, in South L.A. on March 31. Two other men were wounded in the incident, from which Holder fled.
Following a nearly 48-hour manhunt, authorities arrested Holder in nearby Bellflower, California.
The same day news broke of Holder’s indictment, TMZ reported about an assault that allegedly took place just one hour before the suspect allegedly shot and killed Nipsey.
The outlet reported that two women informed the local DA’s office that a male friend said he was attacked prior to the incident that led to the demise of the famed rapper.
The man lived in the same apartment building as Holder and occasionally hung out and smoked marijuana with Holder. At around 2 p.m. on March 31, the neighbor claims Holder showed up at his apartment upset and accused him of lacing his marijuana with another drug. The pair entered the hallway to discuss and Holder grew more and more agitated. The neighbor tried to go back inside his home but allegedly, Holder pistol-whipped him in the back of the head.
According to the man’s friends, they say he was knocked down, but remained conscious. He claims to have seen the gun on the floor, describing it as a “big silver gun” and “semi-automatic.”
The neighbor managed to get up safely and head inside his apartment, TMZ reported. He claimed Holder was “shaking and looked very nervous” before he left.
The women, who have retained the counsel of attorney Harley D. Breite, allege their pal admitted to selling Holder $10 worth of weed, but to his knowledge it came directly from a dispensary and was not laced.
Apparently learning Holder was the suspect in Nipsey’s murder case days later, the neighbor is said to have been fearful of reporting his alleged altercation with Holder. He was concerned about Holder’s gang ties and the fact that he was the one who sold Holder pot.
