U.S. Marshals arrest 3rd suspect in murder of Philadelphia rapper LGP QUA
Amir Earley, 22, was arrested on the 3000 block of Reach Street in Northeast Philadelphia, according to a post from the Marshals Service on X.
Earley had been wanted since May in the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Qidere Johnson, who used the stage name LGP QUA.
Police said Johnson was shot in what may have been a robbery on May 11, 2025 — Mother's Day — near the corner of M and East Luzerne streets in the Juniata Park section of Philadelphia.
Joshua Thomas-Coleman and Abdul Boyd, both 19, were previously arrested and charged with murder, conspiracy and robbery. Boyd and Earley are also facing gun charges and other offenses.
Earley is facing the same set of charges and had a preliminary arraignment early Friday morning, according to court records. He was denied bail and remanded to a city jail.
After spending time in prison in his early 20s, Johnson got out and earned national attention for his rapping, including a song in 2017 about Meek Mill's imprisonment on a parole violation.
He met Snoop Dogg the following year and was given some words of inspiration — "@snoopdogg told me he love the positivity and influence I'm spreading on the youth," Johnson said on social media in 2018. He even collaborated with Will.i.am.
Nicknamed "the voice of the youth," he preached a more positive message and railed against violence in his lyrics.
"With all this violence and all this drill music, we got a youth, we got a younger guy over here that's willing to talk about positivity with that same passion, that same aggression," community activist Ameer Barber told CBS News Philadelphia in May.
Snoop Dogg and Meek Mill publicly mourned the Philly rapper after the news of the shooting broke.
"Killing ambitious young bulls like this on Mother's Day is a Philly type of thing," Meek Mill said on social media after LGP QUA was killed.
LGP QUA was also known for community giveaways, and once earned a citation from City Council for giving away nearly 1,000 pairs of sneakers to Philly kids. His Instagram page also features videos of him in Kensington, giving out hot coffee and backpacks.
CBS News Philadelphia spoke to LGP QUA in 2019 for a feature on his blossoming music career, and he offered advice to people growing up: "Be you. Be different. Stand out. Don't be like a crowd," he said.
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