ATLANTA — Family and friends of rapper Young Scooter gathered Thursday evening for a balloon release in honor of the 39-year-old.
Young Scooter, whose real name is Kenneth Bailey, died on his birthday after someone made a false 911 call to the home where he was at the time.
Hundreds of people showed up to Bessie Branham Park in the Kirkwood neighborhood, the neighborhood where Bailey grew up.
“He put his foot in every area and every side of Atlanta,” friend Baby Jade told Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers.
The medical examiner’s office said Bailey’s cause of death was a “penetrating injury of the right thigh” and listed his manner of death as an accident. The report said that Bailey’s injury led to major blood loss.
They said he injured himself on wooden fencing material or woody debris after jumping over at least one fence.
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Police said they responded to a home on William Nye Drive to reports of shots being fired and a woman being seen being dragged into a home. When officers arrived, two men, one of whom was Bailey, ran from the police.
“I had just talked to him at 6 o’clock,” said music friend DJ X-Rated World Famous. “I think this happened at 6:20. It broke my heart. It’s still breaking my heart.”
Police arrested Demetria Spence on Tuesday. She’s being charged with transmitting a false public alarm.
A judge granted her bond on Wednesday, but as of Thursday night, she had not bonded out of the Fulton County Jail.
“I hate that had to happen, especially on his birthday,” family friend Mary Ragsdale said. “It was unnecessary.”
Family and friends said they’re now focusing on the legacy he’s left, not just with his music but also a beloved father and mentor.
“A lot of the kids from his community didn’t necessarily have dads all the time or have that parental support, he always stepped in and stepped up,” Baby Jade said. “If they needed someone to come and shout at the game, if they needed a suit for the banquet, whatever it was, he was just amazing, and Atlanta took a really big hit with this one.”
The family is still finalizing funeral service plans but said they would be announcing it by Friday.
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