MMG boss Rick Ross was reportedly the victim of a drive-by shooting that took place early Monday morning (January 28) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Witnesses told Fort Lauderdale station WPLG that they spotted Ross and a female passenger inside a Rolls Royce that was fired upon by as-yet-unknown assailants and targeted with nearly two dozen bullets.
A spokesperson for the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department could not be reached for comment at press time. The shooting occurred around 5 a.m. Monday, when police received several calls from residents reporting shots fired near the corner of Las Olas Boulevard and 15th Avenue. Though police did not identify the passengers in the car, they confirmed that there were two people in it when another vehicle approached and someone inside fired multiple shots.
The Huffington Post reported that a Ft. Lauderdale police source confirmed that Ross (born William Roberts), was a passenger in the car that crashed after "dozens" of shots were fired at it.
The driver of the Rolls tried to get away and ended up crashing the vehicle into a residential apartment building on 15th Avenue. No one was injured in the incident and at press time MTV News was still awaiting for comment from a spokesperson for Ross.
An investigation is ongoing to find the people responsible for the shooting, but so far no official information has been released about the suspects or the vehicle they were driving. Police had also not officially released the names of the victims, who, Fort Lauderdale PD spokesperson Det. DeAnna Garcia told NBC Miami, are requesting anonymity because they "are fearful for their lives and their families' lives after the shooting. An employee at the nearby Floridian diner told the station that Ross and a woman were in the car and that the God Forgives, I Don't MC appeared shaken up by the incident. Ross was reportedly celebrating his birthday at the diner earlier in the night and the shots were fired as he got into his vehicle.
The Miami Herald reported that the restaurant was hit by a handful of the 15 or so bullets, with some striking a window and a cooler, though none appear to have hit the Rolls.
Another witness said that Ross had recently bought a house in the area.