A shooting in Brooklyn claimed the life of rapper Nicki Minaj’s cousin early Monday.
The Post reported that Nicholas Telemaque, 27, was shot just five blocks from his home on East 52nd Street and Farragut Road at 2:40 a.m. in East Flatbush.
Minaj, who has exploded onto the music scene with hits such as “Moment 4 Life” and “Super Bass,” took to Twitter to pay tribute to her slain cousin.
“*My cousin Nicholas. Also goes by Juse, or @brolicalcoholic* Murdered. Last nite. Near his home. Brooklyn,NY” Minaj tweeted yesterday.
The rapper also called Telemaque “My precious cousin” in an earlier tweet and posted pictures of him to her Twitter account.
Other relatives have come out to say they believe Telemaque’s shooting may have been incidental.
“Nicholas was a quiet person but he could be the life and soul of the party too – he did not run with gangs or anything like that.
“His friends have told us there wasn’t any trouble that night and we believe it could have been a case of mistaken identity but the police are still investigating the case,” Telemaque’s cousin Carol Clarke told RadarOnline.com.
Cops were called and found Telemaque with gunshot wounds to his upper torso. He was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he later died.
Police have not determined what started the shooting and no arrests have been made.