A suspect has been arrested for the stabbing death of a man (Devon Pickett a.k.a DayDay) who’s worked with some of today’s biggest artists like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, KMichelle, Justin Timberlake, Quest Love, rapper Fabolous and others.
Read on:
A Philadelphia man has been arrested in connection with the stabbings of two members of rapper Nicki Minaj’s tour crew, one of whom
died.
Authorities say 31-year-old Pierce Boykin was arrested Monday on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and related offenses.
It wasn’t immediately clear if investigators were looking for other suspects.
The double stabbing last Wednesday left 29-year-old Devon Pickett dead and a second member of Minaj’s tour, who is reported to be 27, severely wounded.
The wounded crew member, identified by TMZ and by Minaj on her Twitter feed as Eric Parker, remains in critical condition.
Two members of my team were stabbed last night in Philly. One was killed. They had only been there for two days rehearsing for the tour.
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) February 18, 2015
Police say the stabbing occurred outside a bar after the victims argued with a man inside.According to Minaj, the crew members had arrived in Philadelphia only two days earlier to rehearse for a tour.
She retweeted a story from the website of the local NBC affiliate, which said the violence began around 2 a.m. Wednesday inside Che Bar & Grill, and then spread into the street along Stenton Avenue in Philadelphia’s West Oak Lane neighborhood.
The assailant, according to police, was last seen driving away in a gray Buick LeSabre.
Neither Boykin nor (cont’d)
MORE ABOUT THE INCIDENT:
A tour manager who was well-known in the music industry and was working on preparations for rap superstar Nicki Minaj’s upcoming tour, died after a bar fight spread into a Philadelphia street.
De’Von Pickett, 29, of the Bronx, New York, was stabbed to death outside the Che Bar & Grill along Stenton Avenue in Philadelphia’s West Oak Lane neighborhood early Wednesday morning.
Pickett was with Eric Reed, 27, and three other friends inside the bar around 2:35 a.m. when they got into an argument with another group of men, according to police.
“We believe that both of the victims, as well as the perpetrator, were all inside of this bar and that’s when an argument started,” said Chief Inspector Scott Small.
The argument spread outside the bar where one of the men pulled out a knife, police said.
Someone stabbed both Pickett and Reed several times.
Pickett suffered stab wounds in the torso while Reed suffered stab wounds to his left arm and left side.
A private car rushed both men to Albert Einstein Medical Center. Pickett died from his injuries at 2:45 a.m. Reed remained in fair condition late Wednesday.
Police later returned to the 6300 block of Stenton Avenue where they found personal items, a cellphone and blood on the sidewalk outside the bar. A Philadelphia Police crime camera and business surveillance cameras possibly captured at least part of the incident, said investigators.
Police said the suspect was last seen driving off in a gray Buick LeSabre. He is described as a 30-year-old man standing 5-foot, 8-inches tall and weighing 160 pounds with a full beard. He was last seen wearing a black and gray jacket.
Earlier, witnesses told investigators that the dispute possibly had to do with a recently fired employee. Small said that police were working to verify if that was actually the case.
Both Pickett and Reed were tour managers who were working on preparations for Minaj’s “The Pinkprint Tour,” which is set to begin next month in Sweden. Pickett was also the co-founder of BK Nerd & Co. and was well-known in the music industry for his work in branding and public relations.
Minaj tweeted that she knew the victims were in Philly to rehearse for her upcoming tour.
Pickett’s cousin, who did not want to be identified, also confirmed with NBC10 that Pickett was in Philly to work on the tour with Philly rapper Meek Mill.
“They were all here for her,” the cousin said. “I guess they were out celebrating and things went wrong.”
During his career, Pickett (cont’d)
