Four members of T.I.'s posse were shot in a melee on Cincinnati's Interstate 75 early this morning, leaving one person dead and three in undisclosed conditions at University Hospital. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the feud began at the city's Club Ritz during an after-party for the Atlanta rapper and his protege Yung Joc -- who performed earlier that evening at the club Bogart's -- and moved outside, where shots were fired into two vans transporting T.I.'s crew just after three o'clock.
Three miles of I-75 South were closed for seven hours after the shootings, causing major delays during rush hour. The interstate reopened at about 10:15 a.m. In the meantime, witnesses told the Enquirer the scuffle started when a member of T.I.'s crew tossed money into the crowd from the stage.
"It was supposed to be for the ladies," one witness said. "But it [the money] was hitting guys in the face, and they were like, 'We got money, so why are you throwing money at us?'"
When the situation grew tense, T.I. reportedly told his group to head out. A witness outside told the Enquirer that one shot -- believed to be unrelated to the ensuing gun battle -- was fired in the parking lot and at least four people followed the vans in a large vehicle.
The names and conditions of the victims (three men, one woman) have not been revealed, although police confirmed the deceased was part of T.I.'s crew. Two of T.I.'s vans were found on I-75; one victim was from one van, while three people in the other were also shot. Police are asking witnesses to come forward.
The Club Ritz has been a point of contention in the Cincinnati community for the past year. Police and citizens asked the City Council to shut it down last April, but council members voted to let the bar keep its liquor license. Two months later, three people were shot outside the club after another fight spilled onto the streets.
As for T.I., this tragic news comes in light of his latest album, King, moving more than half a million units its first week. It's currently sold 996,000 copies, stopping just short of platinum status. He also recently made his film debut, co-starring in ATL with OutKast's Big Boi.
