ATLANTA, GA (CelebrityAccess) — Silento, a rapper best known for his 2015 hit “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” was arrested on Monday and charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of his 34-year-old cousin.
DeKalb County police announced the arrest on Twitter, stating that 23-year-old Ricky Hawk, better known as Silento, was arrested and charged during the investigation of the death of Frederick Rook, who was found dead on January 21st.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rooks’ body was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds in on a street in Panthersville, a suburb of Atlanta the early morning hours of January 21st.
Police provided few additional details in their statement and are continuing their investigation.
“After a thorough investigation, DKPD detectives identified Hawk as Rooks’ cousin, and the person responsible for Rooks’ murder,” DeKalb police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent said in a statement provided to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Investigators are still working to uncover the motive for the shooting.”
Hawk has had several brushes with the law in the past year and was arrested in California in August on on domestic violence and gun charges. In October, he was arrested in Atlanta on charges that he was driving at more than 140 mph on a local highway. At the time, Hawks told police that he was speeding because he was being chased and that he was allowed to speed because he’s not a “regular person.”
Chantel Hudson, who identified herself as a publicist for Hawk, posted a statement to social media suggesting that Hawk was deal with mental illness.
“Please send my client Silento some positive vibrations. Over the past several years, Ricky has been suffering immensely from a series of mental health illnesses. We will continue in his efforts of treatment, but we ask in the meantime the public uplift him and his family in immediate prayer.”
“Ricky is a beautiful soul, and we hope that the same people who came up whippin’ & nay naying with him, continue to support him and lifted (sic) in prayer!!” she added.
