Young Dolph Murder Suspect Identified as 23-Year-Old Fugitive

Authorities identified a suspect Wednesday who’s wanted in connection with the murder of rapper Young Dolph at a Memphis bakery on Nov. 17.

Justin Johnson, 23, is alleged to have shot Young Dolph while the rapper, born Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr., was visiting Makeda’s Cookies near Memphis International Airport. Johnson is now the subject of a first-degree murder warrant issued by the Memphis Police Department, officials said.

Johnson also has an outstanding warrant for violation of federal supervised release in a weapons case and “has ties to organized criminal gangs,” according to a joint press release from Memphis Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

He was described as being five feet eight inches tall, weighing 190 pounds, and having the name “Jaiya” tattooed on his right arm.

The law enforcement agencies offered a combined award of $15,000 Wednesday for information leading to Johnson’s arrest.

“The tragic shooting death of rap artist Young Dolph serves as another reminder of the pain that violent crime brings with it,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland previously said in a statement.