UPDATE 1/5/22: Police identified the suspect in the killing of rapper Young Dolph on Wednesday, January 5th.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The family of rapper Young Dolph released a statement Wednesday, one week after his death in a shooting at a Memphis cookie shop. You can read it below:
There are no words that exist, that sufficiently express the pain we are feeling as a family. Losing Adolph, Dolph, Man-Man, changes our lives forever. And while we will take each day as it comes, we are comforted in knowing that he leaves a legacy that reflects his heart. A heart that was for his family. A heart that was for the people.
We are grateful for the outpouring of love. We are grateful that his godly obligation to show kindness to the world is being acknowledged.
As a family, we were blessed to call him our son, our nephew, our brother, our cousin , our partner and our Father. And now, we have the honor of calling him our angel. A role he has always played.
Family statement
The family statement also included a quote from author Rudyard Kipling:
“If you can talk with the crowd and keep your virtue, or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run- Yours is the earth and everything that’s in it, And-which is more-you’ll be a man my son.”
Rudyard Kipling
Adolph Thornton Jr., better known as Young Dolph, grew up in South Memphis and returned home often. He was in town last week to help give away Thanksgiving turkeys to the community and visit with the staff of a cancer center where several of his family members received treatment.
One week after tragedy unfolded, the memorial is still growing and so too is the pain being felt across the community. Fans like Aja Washington have been coming from across the country to pay their respects to the Memphis artist.
“That’s somebody from our own community somebody here helping us, Memphis and all he got back was hate that’s real sad but to see the support that he got that’s nice,” Washington said.
The memorial is still growing and so too is the pain being felt across the community.
“People been coming up here crying, people been coming up here shouting, people been coming up here saying they feel his spirit. It’s been all type of stuff going on,” said community activist Frank Gottie.
Memphis Police have released photos of the two men they say are responsible for spraying Makeda’s Cookies with bullets last Wednesday, killing Dolph as he shopped inside.
So far, no arrests have been made and police are still looking for information.