The Connecticut rapper known as Gangstalicious was killed last Thursday (Dec. 14) when five police officers opened fire on a vehicle that he was traveling as it struck police cars and drove towards a few officers at the scene in an attempt to escape. Zoe Dowdell a.k.a. Gangstalicious was the driver at the time of the shooting and died at the scene.
Per the Hartford Courant, yesterday (Dec. 18) the Police Chief James Wardwell released the names of the officers involved in the fatal shooting as Detectives Marcin Ratajczak and Christopher Kiely, and Officers Michael Slavin, Kyle Jones and Chad Nelson.
In a statement released via email the chief explained, “The New Britain Police Department is committed to holding itself accountable to the community we serve and in doing so supports a thorough and transparent investigation.”
Aside from killing Dowdell, police also wounded the 15-year-old and 18-year-old Noah Young who were in the car with the Bloomfield rapper. Both teens survived their gunshot wounds but now face numerous charges as police confiscated drugs and a gun. Young has since denied knowing anything about the gun or carjackings that were affiliated with the car.
Though Gangstalicious had a few run-ins with the law, Hartford attorney Wesley Spears was familiar with Dowdell via representation of a co-defendant and couldn’t imagine that the young rapper was behind the carjackings and robberies. “I’ve dealt with a lot of harsh criminals,” Spears told the HC. “He was not a hardened criminal. He was very lightweight in terms of being forceful or aggressive.”
After news of his death hit the streets dozens of family, friends and fans attended two separate candlelit vigils in New Britain and paid their respects to the aspiring rapper.
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Photo: Glastonbury Police Department
