Rapper Offset was shot and hospitalised on Monday evening outside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, after an altercation that led to a second arrest and left investigators searching for additional suspects.
The Seminole Police Department confirmed the incident occurred in the valet area of the hotel after 7 p.m. on Monday. The injured individual was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood with a non-life-threatening injury and the scene was secured quickly, with no ongoing threat to the public. A representative for Offset confirmed he was shot and described him as stable and under close medical observation.
In an updated statement on Tuesday, Seminole Police confirmed that Tione Jayden Merritt, known professionally as Lil Tjay, was charged with disorderly conduct by affray, a first-degree misdemeanor under Florida Statute 870.01, after police established the incident began with a fight. Jail records show Lil Tjay also faces a separate charge of operating a vehicle without a valid licence. He is being held at Broward County Jail on a total bond of $3,000.
A second person detained at the scene has not been charged, and the investigation to identify one or more additional persons involved in the incident remains ongoing.
Lil Tjay’s attorney, Dawn Florio, moved swiftly to separate her client from the shooting itself. Florio stated that Lil Tjay was neither shot nor charged with any shooting and described claims to the contrary as false, urging the public to verify information before sharing it.
The shooting comes against a backdrop of a public dispute between the two artists. During a Twitch stream in January 2026, Lil Tjay publicly accused Offset of borrowing up to $10,000 from him at a casino and never repaying it. Offset responded with a warning, but Lil Tjay continued the public taunting into March 2026.
Offset, whose real name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, was formerly a member of the Atlanta-based hip hop trio Migos. His cousin Takeoff, another member of the group, was fatally shot in 2022.
