A Reynoldsburg man has been arrested and charged with murder and felony aggravated robbery in the fatal shooting of aspiring Columbus rapper ‘Boog The Bandit.’
Kyson Murphy, 22, was arraigned Tuesday in Franklin County Municipal Court in connection with the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Courtney Bruce, aka ‘Boog The Bandit,’ on May 20 on the East Side.
Columbus police were called about 6:09 p.m. that day about a woman, later identified as Bruce, who had been shot and dropped off at the hospital. She was pronounced dead a short time later.
An investigation by Columbus homicide detectives determined that Bruce and a 25-year-old man were lured by Murphy to the 3700 block of Dort Place, a cul-de-sac in a Beechwood subdivision, court records state.
The pair were in a car when they were approached by Murphy and a group of three other men with handguns who intended to rob them.
The man with Bruce was robbed of his cash, jewelry and cellphone, court records state. Bruce, who lived on the East Side, resisted the robbery. She was pistol whipped, shot and robbed of a fannypack-style bag, jewelry and her cellphone by either Murphy or someone else on the passenger side of the car, the man with Bruce told police.
According to court records, a search warrant for Murphy’s cellphone revealed that hours after the shooting he had discussed robbing someone and that a large amount of money needed to be given to a relative.
Murphy was arrested on Monday night by Columbus police. He will have a bond hearing Thursday.
Read more: Up-and-coming rapper Boog the Bandit shot on Columbus’ East Side, dies at hospital
HipHop DX, an online blog, said early this year that Bruce had been gaining traction in 2021 with three singles — “Heart Away,” “Hot Topic” and “Risky” — garnering more than 100,000 views each on YouTube.
She also garnered recognition from hip-hop heavyweights such as culture critic DJ Akademiks, Canton-born rap star Trippie Redd and others for her superstar-like presence.
“I’m going to come out and tell you how much I want to be loved, how much I want to love and how lonely I felt,” Bruce told The Dispatch during an interview in March. “I’m going to come out and give you (those) bars because I want to talk about the stuff that others don’t feel comfortable talking about.”
Rather than fit the mold of a traditional hip-hop artist, Bruce, a self-described pop star, discussed with The Dispatch how she was driven to shape a new sound within the city’s musical silos.
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A driving force behind her career as Boog The Bandit was Bruce’s desire to ensure that her mother, Wanda, would no longer have to work her full-time job as a medical assistant. As a hip-hop artist, she also hoped to help bring a larger spotlight to Columbus’s music scene and the talent in central Ohio.
“There’s not a dollar amount I’m trying to reach, there’s not a destination in life that I haven’t already been,” Boog said then. “It’s just the feeling of being transparent, open and being happy. I’m chasing true happiness.”
Dispatch reporter Earl Hopkins contributed to this report
JDandron@dispatch.com
@JosephDandronMI
