Officials: Reality TV star Benzino shot by nephew while driving in mother’s funeral procession

Screengrab from vibe.com

BROCKTON, Mass.—Reality TV star Benzino was driving in a funeral procession for his mother on a Massachusetts highway Saturday when he was shot and injured by his nephew, who was riding in another car, according to authorities and the hip-hop magazine owned by Benzino.

Benzino, whose real name is Raymond Scott, is a cast member of the VH1 reality show “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta,” which is known for its over-the-top drama and fights, and CEO of Hip-Hop Weekly. The magazine confirmed on its website Saturday night that Benzino had been shot.

The 48-year-old Benzino was travelling on Route 3 south of Boston just before noon when 36-year-old Gai Scott pulled alongside in a Bentley and fired several shots into a red SUV driven by Benzino, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. Officials say there had been growing tension between the two.

Benzino, of Mansfield, Mass., got out of the SUV after being struck and was taken to the Duxbury Police Department and then transferred to a hospital.

Hip-Hop Weekly said he was shot in an arm, and his back was grazed by a bullet. The website posted photos of Benzino awake in his hospital bed, including a photo showing his left arm bandaged and in a sling.

He was listed in good condition, a spokeswoman for South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth said Sunday morning.

Benzino was heading to a church in Plymouth at the time of the shooting, the District Attorney’s Office said. A funeral Mass for his mother, Mary A. Scott, was scheduled for St. Peter’s Church in Plymouth Saturday, according to an obituary posted online.

Photos posted by the Boston Globe showed a silver hearse parked outside of the church covered in plastic and crime scene tape following the shooting.

Police responding to the scene found the red SUV in the middle of Route 3 with bullet holes and a reddish brown substance believe to be blood inside the vehicle. Officials said shell casings and projectiles also were found at the scene.

Gai Scott, of Randolph, Mass., was taken into custody and charged with assault with intent to murder. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in the Plymouth District Court.

The over-the-top drama and fights of “Love & Hip Hop” has made it a ratings success, but also a target for criticism. The fourth season of the show’s New York series ended in January. The third season of the Atlanta spinoff debuts in May.

Benzino is a former co-owner of The Source magazine. At its prime, The Source was the pre-eminent magazine for rap, and it helped fuel the rise of urban magazines such as XXL and Vibe.

Benzino left the publication in 2006 and later launched Hip-Hop Weekly, which chronicles the lives of urban music stars.