St. Louis rapper Huey killed in double shooting in Kinloch

A St. Louis rapper was killed in a double shooting in Kinloch late Thursday night.

The shooting happened just before 11 p.m. in the 8100 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard in Kinloch.

The victim, Lawrence Franks Jr., went by the stage name Huey. He was best known in the rap community for his 2006 debut single, "Pop, Lock & Drop It," in 2006. He was a native of Kinloch.

St. Louis County police identified the victim only as a 32-year-old man (one Huey bio has him as 31), but social media lit up with reports of his death and condolences from relatives and fans. One of them, Bruce Franks Jr., said on Twitter, "They killed my lil cousin."

Huey had been rushed to the hospital in a private vehicle before rescuers arrived at the shooting scene, but died shortly after getting to the hospital. He had been shot at least once, police said.

The second victim, a 21-year-old man, went to the Ferguson Police Department at 222 South Florissant Road after being shot, said St. Louis County police Sgt. Benjamin Granda. That man's injuries were considered non-life threatening injuries, Granda said.

The two were shot in the front yard of a home in the 8100 block of Martin Luther King. Detectives think as many as 10 other people were there when the shooting happened, and police are asking witnesses for help solving the crime, Granda said.

St. Louis County police detectives are investigating. Police released no details Friday about a possible motive. Police also haven't said if they have any suspects.

By 8:45 a.m. Friday, hours after the news of Huey's death made the rounds on social media, police confirmed the dead man's identity as Lawrence Franks Jr., 32, of the 1000 block of Spruce Street in downtown St. Louis.

Crime-scene tape was put up in an area that included a home at 8173 Martin Luther King Boulevard, which is east of Interstate 170 and south of Airport Road. The brick home with white columns and a lion statue in front was listed in online records as a residence of Lawrence Franks Jr., and St. Louis County property records list the home's owner as Otis Hughes, who could not be reached for comment.

In a Post-Dispatch article in 2013, pop music critic Kevin C. Johnson wrote that "Pop, Lock & Drop It" was the 2006 debut single from Huey’s 2007 album “Notebook Paper,” and it flew straight into the top 10, making him one of a wave of St. Louis rappers finding popularity after Nelly and Chingy.

Huey attended Berkeley High School and McCluer High School before earning his GED. He has a teenage daughter, Lawryn.

"It was really rough," said Huey, the youngest of four children. "My mama and daddy were on drugs. My brother was in and out of jail. The foster people were chasing me. It was crazy."

Huey was said to be filming a new video this weekend. In 2013, he had signed a deal with rapper Waka Flocka Flame.