Rapper Wacka Flocka Flame has been engaged in a dangerous dance with drama as of late. He was shot in a botched robbery on Atlanta’s southside in January, then was reportedly on the wrong end of a brawl and shootout in a Gucci Mane-Young Jeezy posse feud in a clothing store in downtown Atlanta last week.
Now, there are reports that eight teenagers were shot after a performance that the embattled rapper gave at the World of Skates skating rink in Indiana.
Police told the Post-Tribune of Gary, Ind., they believe that someone with local gang affiliation opened fire on a crowd of 200 patrons of the Wacka Flocka concert after the place was cleared following a fight inside the venue.
“They’re teenagers that came to a venue and saw a rapper perform and then went home. As far as I’m concerned, my kids have nothing to do with what was going on,” World of Skates manager James Sisson told the Post-Tribune.
Police place the blame for the fight and ensuing shooting at the feet of Waka Flocka’s hype man, who reportedly incited the youth by yelling “East Side” against the “West Side,” just before the brawl inside the rink, Police Cmdr. Michael Mallett told the Post-Tribune.
“The kids have separated themselves into east and west sides,” Mallet said. “They’ve been doing it for many years now, but it’s gotten worse, especially when you have entertainers making references to East Side vs. West Side. The youth in our community have taken it to heart.”
According to the newspaper, security shut the concert down following the fight and ordered everyone out. Approximately 200 young people were milling around and seeking to go home when “a gunman or gunmen” opened fire on the crowd, hitting eight victims. They were taken to St. Catherine Hospital, Methodist and St. Margaret Mercy hospitals in nearby Hammond, Ind., where they were all treated for non life-threatening injuries, the newspaper reports. –terry shropshire
