Update, Tuesday, January 11 at 6:30 p.m.: According to TMZ, Justin Johnson was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals on Tuesday after being accused of murdering rapper Young Dolph. Johnson reportedly announced on social media that he was going to turn himself into officials on Monday. Johnson’s Instagram account with the message is no longer available; he was found in Indiana the day of his capture.
Original story follows.
U.S. Marshals, Memphis Police Department, Crime Stoppers, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have named 23-year-old Justin Johnson as wanted for the shooting of Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr., known in the rap world as Young Dolph. The news came via a statement obtained by WREG Memphis. Dolph was killed November 17, 2021, outside a bakery that he frequented. He was 36. Johnson is wanted for first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and theft of property. A $15,000 reward is being offered for his capture.
Dolph was known in the community for his generosity, for example by giving out turkeys around Thanksgiving. The annual event went on in his name the week following his death, per Billboard. Dolph’s longtime partner, Mia Jerdine, mourned his loss on Instagram in 2021, writing “Question is … How am I going to tell my babies that daddy is never coming home?” She also highlighted the “Black Men Deserve to Grow Old” campaign on social media, which started when her brother was killed in 2020.
