*A man injured during the fatal shooting of rapper Nipsey Hussle has been ordered released from jail after he was arrested for a possible parole violation for associating with the West Coast rapper.
Kerry Lathan, 56, who was convicted of murder in 1996, was released from prison less than a year ago after serving 24 years. When he was released, Nipsey reportedly hooked him up with gear from his Marathon Clothing store in Los Angels. Lathan and his nephew were at the store to shop for a funeral when the shooting occurred on March 31.
Hussle previously revealed he was a member of the Rollin 60s Crips. Under the terms of his parole, Lathan was barred from associating with known gang members. According to reports, Lathan had no idea Nipsey was going to be at the store on that tragic day.
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“The gunman turned around the car and shot me, then shot Nipsey, and then shot my nephew,” Lathan told VladTV in an interview from jail prior to the announcement that the case against him would be dismissed, Inside Edition reports. “I didn’t know what was going on; I fell on my stomach. All I could see was people’s feet. I couldn’t see nothing else.”
Kerry said the shooting took place in “less than three minutes.”
The bullet that hit him was reportedly lodged in his spine. As a result, he is allegedelly paralyzed and in a wheelchair.
Days after the shooting, Lathan was arrested on a possible parole violation for having contact with Nipsey. His meeting with the slain rapper took place a day before Hussle was to meet with LAPD Chief Michel Moore to discuss curbing gang violence in the city.
“When I get [to Men’s Central Jail], they say, ‘You’re here for [a] parole violation,’” Lathan said. “I said, ‘For what?’ ‘Well, coming into contact with a known gang member.’ I said, ‘Man, I didn’t come into contact with nobody.’”
Lathan said he didn’t know Nipsey well, stating: “[Nipsey] was a child. He was probably 8 years old or 7 when I got locked up,” Lathan said. “I took a selfie with him because that’s a celebrity. Everyone was taking pictures with him.”
Lauren Noriega, Lathan’s attorney, said her client was accused of a violation for just “being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Much like Nipsey Hussle, Mr. Lathan was a reformed gang member who was determined to make a change in his community,” Noriega told HuffPost.
“I just did 25 years to life,” Lathan said. “Y’all release me, then want to throw me back in jail for coming into contact with a gang member? Who’s really a voice and piece of the public? Which one is it? They have to make heads and tails of what’s going on.”
The case against Lathan has since been dropped and he is expected to be released this week.
“He’s very, very grateful,” Noriega said. “He is very eager to get home. He was away for 25 years, so his children and grandchild don’t really known him and he wants to reunite with his family and live a low-key life.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help with medical fees for Lathan. It has raised more than $17,000.
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