The location where Young Dolph was shot dead

This is the location where Young Dolph was shot dead.

It is situated at 2370 Airways Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee.

On November 17th, 2021, the 36-year-old rapper was shot 22 times at a store called Makeda's Homemade Cookies. He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards.

Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thorton, was ambushed by two armed men while he was buying cookies for his mother.

Surveillance footage showed that one of his assailants ran up to him and opened fire with a semi-automatic AK-47 pistol.

Following the shooting, the store was temporarily closed and boarded up. During its closure, fans of the slain rapper turned the front into a mural.

Fans reacted negatively when the owner of the property announced that they were planning on removing the mural. Some even threatened to "take action" if the cookie store reopened.

Initially, Makeda's owners, Maurice and Pamela Hill, decided not to reopen at the location. However, they had a change of heart after "the money started dwindling."

In January of 2022, two men named Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith were charged with the murder of Young Dolph.

Johnson is a locally known Memphis rapper who goes by the nickname Straight Drop. According to the police, he has links to criminal organizations and a history of violence.

Both of these men have pleaded not guilty.

Another man named Shundale Barnett was charged with being an accessory to the crime. It is believed that Barnett was a passenger in the car that the gunmen used during the ambush.

In November of 2022, the police also charged 43-year-old Hernandez Govan with murder. The authorities believe that Govan was the person who ordered the shooting.

The trial for Dolph's murder has yet to begin. According to a Shelby County judge, it could take years before it finally comes before the courts.

Further information is available in the "Photos" section below.

Photos

Photos of the store and other related images.

Makeda's Homemade Cookies

This Google Street View image of Makeda's Homemade Cookies was taken in July of 2021, roughly four months before Young Dolph was shot dead.

The rapper reportedly visited the store whenever he was home in Memphis.

Mural

Following the shooting, fans turned the exterior of the store into a mural by writing messages on the walls and leaving flowers.

Young Dolph's murder

At around 12:20 p.m. on November 17th, 2021, two armed men wearing masks jumped out of a stolen white Mercedes and opened fire on the rapper.

One of the men was armed with a semi-automatic "Draco" AK-47 pistol. The other man was carrying a handgun.

Thornton was hit 22 times in the neck, chest, abdomen, chin, and back.

Following the shooting, crowds of fans gathered outside the bakery and filmed the aftermath.

Suspects

The authorities believe that Justin Johnson (aka Straight Drop) and Cornelius Smith carried out the shooting.

A third suspect named Shundale Barnett is believed to have been a passenger in the white Mercedes.

Both Johnson and Smith have pleaded not guilty to murdering Thornton.

In November 2022, the authorities charged 43-year-old Hernandez Govan with murder. Prosecutors believe that Govan had been planning the rapper's murder for months.

Although the police have stated that they know the motive behind the killing, they have yet to release any information about it.

Aerial image

This is an aerial image of the store. It is situated just north of the Avron B. Fogelman Expressway in South Memphis.

Reopened

Makeda's owners, Maurice and Pamela Hill, reopened their flagship store on Airways Boulevard in September of 2022.

A dolphin with the letters P.R.E is visible at the front.

The P.R.E is in reference to Dolph's record label, Paper Route Empire.