DMV Rapper Goonew Shot & Killed – Nearly 2 Years After Surviving Another Hit

Prince George’s County, MD – Hip Hop suffered a number of losses in 2021 and three months into 2022, the losses keep mounting. Goonew, the DMV rapper hailed as a pioneer through mixtapes such as Hey Auntie, Big 64 and Goonwick 2, was shot and killed Friday (March 18) by an unknown assailant.

Goonew’s manager confirmed his death to the Washington Post.

The Prince Georges County police department tweeted about the incident, saying the shooting occurred around 5:40 p.m. in District Heights, Maryland. Hours later, the victim was pronounced dead.

Prelim: At approx. 5:40 pm, officers responded to the area for a report of a shooting. Once on scene, they located an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to a hospital for life threating injuries. At approx. 7:30 pm, the victim was pronounced dead.

— PGPDNEWS (@PGPDNews) March 19, 2022

Goonew’s murder comes nearly two years after he survived another shooting attempt. In a post shared on Twitter, the DMV rapper remarked how doctors told his mother he was dead, but ultimately he lived.

“I Ain’t Never Show This Pictures But July 5th Last Year They Told My Mother I Was Dead I Came Back… I’m Blessed & thankful I’m Still Here.”

Maryland rapper Goonew speaks out after nearly dying last year from gun shot wounds. pic.twitter.com/309eNBuK7C

— SAY CHEESE! ?? (@SaycheeseDGTL) July 6, 2020

Almost immediately, peers and fans offered condolences and tributes on social media for the late rapper from the DMV and beyond.

“RIP Goonew!! God Bless his family,” Cordae wrote.

RIP Goonew!! God Bless his family ???

— From a Birds Eye View (@cordae) March 19, 2022

Goonew first made a name for himself in 2017, aligning with fellow DMV artist Lil Dude before signing with Hoodrich Pablo Juan. Over the next four years, the 24-year-old rapper would continue to develop his whisper flow to curate tracks dripping with paranoia and a bevy of fans. According to Spotify, he had over 35,000 monthly listens at his death.

Goonew’s death is the latest in a string of violence befalling rappers in Hip Hop. In February, rapper 414 Lil Moe was shot and killed in his hometown of Milwaukee. Days later, Memphis rapper Snootie Wild was murdered after being found lying in a ditch suffering from gunshot wounds in Houston.

On Wednesday (March 16), Miami rapper Baby Cino was ambushed on a highway hours after being released from jail.