LA man wounded alongside Nipsey Hussle is released from custody

Man, 56, who was shot alongside murdered rapper Nipsey Hussle is released from custody and has his arrest for violating his probation dismissed

  • Kerry Lathan, who was injured in the shooting that killed Nipsey Hussle and then thrown into jail violating his parole for being with the rapper, has been released
  • The 56-year-old was with Hussle in the moments before he was fatally shot 
  • The shooting happened outside his Marathon Clothing store on March 31 
  • California Department of Corrections said Lathan violated his parole by associating with known gang members
  • In the aftermath of Hussle’s death, he has been remembered as a community activist and entrepreneur by many
  • He was scheduled to meet with officials from the Los Angeles Police Department to discuss ways to combat gun violence just before his murder

Authorities say a man arrested on a parole violation after being wounded in the Los Angeles shooting that killed Nipsey Hussle has been released from jail.

Kerry Lathan, 56, had been in custody since being shot on March 31, along with the rapper. KABC-TV reports Lathan walked out of LA’s Men’s Central Jail on Saturday.

The state department of corrections arrested Lathan for associating with a known gang member – Hussle.

Kerry Lathan, 56, had been in custody since being shot March 31 along with the rapper. Lathan walked out of LA’s Men’s Central Jail on Saturday

Nipsey Hussle was gunned down on March 31

Hussle was gunned down on March 31 by 29-year-old Eric Holder (above), police allege. Holder is said to have been a member of a local gang

Nipsey Hussle, left, was gunned down on March 31 by 29-year-old Eric Holder, right, police allege. Holder is said to have been a member of a local gang 

But supporters assert Hussle was a former gang member who’d transformed himself into a pillar of the community.

Besides, Lathan’s lawyer says, her client just happened to be in the area when Hussle was gunned down and that his contact with Hussle was accidental.

Lathan said it was by chance he was close to the rapper when the gunman rolled up. 

‘He wasn’t there to propose any business to Nipsey,’ Lauren Noriega, Lathan’s attorney, said. ‘He had no idea that Nipsey would be there.’ 

‘He’s very excited to be home with his family,’ Noriega explained. ‘He’s still got the bullet in his back, and I don’t think they’re gonna remove that because it is so close to the spine, so he’s dealing with a lot of physical pain. Other than that he’s very pleased to be with his family.’ 

Multiple people could be seen running as gunshots rang out and Hussle dropped to the ground outside his clothing store on March 31, 2019. Lathan was also among those wounded

Multiple people could be seen running as gunshots rang out and Hussle dropped to the ground outside his clothing store on March 31, 2019. Lathan was also among those wounded

Blood stained bandages on the ground outside The Marathon clothing store owned by Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle where he was fatally shot

Blood stained bandages on the ground outside The Marathon clothing store owned by Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle where he was fatally shot

Corrections officials announced last week that they’d drop the new allegations against Lathan who served 25 years for a 1994 killing and was only released seven months ago.

He suffered a stroke in prison and still has a bullet in his back from the shooting at Hussle’s The Marathon store. 

Eric Holder, 29, has been charged with Hussle’s murder. 

Hussle was buried April 12 at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills in a private ceremony.

Nipsey Hussle's procession on April 11, 2019 passes by his Marathon Clothing store after his memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles

Nipsey Hussle’s procession on April 11, 2019 passes by his Marathon Clothing store after his memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles

He had recently purchased the strip mall where The Marathon store is located and planned to redevelop it as part of his broader ambitions to remake his childhood neighborhood and attempt to break the cycle of gang life he experienced as a younger man.

Last year, Nipsey had a hit with ‘Victory Lap,’ his critically acclaimed major-label debut album on Atlantic Records that earned him a Grammy nomination.

A day before his burial, a memorial was held for Nipsey at the Staples Center. 

The memorial saw more than 20,000 people flock to the event to say their final goodbyes.

Afterwards, a huge crowd thronged the streets and sidewalks as a 25-mile procession took place through the city.  

The service was the first celebrity memorial at Staples Center since Michael Jackson’s nearly a decade ago.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk