The girlfriend of Johnny May Cash says she was acting in self-defense when she fatally shot the Chicago-based rapper.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, 28-year-old Brianna Gibbs was charged with murder just hours after she opened fire on the 27-year-old drill artist, born Tyrone Pittman. While in custody, the woman claimed she shot Cash—the brother of rapper/producer Young Chop—because she feared for her safety. She told police that her boyfriend had pulled out a chunk of her hair during a dispute Sunday at his home in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. At one point during the altercation, Cash’s gun allegedly fell to the ground and was picked up by Gibbs. The woman said she then fled to the porch with the firearm in hand, and told her boyfriend to bring out her phone from inside. She told police she decided to shoot Cash if he “came out aggressively at her.”
Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy told the court Gibbs had fired multiple shots at Cash as he approached her on the porch. After the rapper fell back into the doorway, Gibbs reportedly grabbed her phone and fired one more shot from beyond the front steps. Police arrived at the scene at around 2:20 a.m. Sunday; however, Cash and Gibbs were nowhere to be found.
Authorities later learned Cash had been shot in the the thigh and transported to an Evergreen Park medical center, where he was ultimately pronounced dead. Gibbs reportedly went to her aunt’s house after the shooting, and was then taken to hospital. An assistant public defender said Gibbs was treated for bruises on her legs and chest, and sustained a split lip that required stitches.
Murphy pointed to a recent YouTube video that purportedly showed Cash punching Gibbs and slamming her into a wall “with such force that plaster can be seen falling in front of the camera.” He also told the court Tuesday that Cash was charged with domestic violence in 2015 and 2017. Court records show that both cases, which involved different woman, were eventually dropped.
Gibbs’ legal team argued the fatal shooting was a case of self-defense. The judge was seemingly convinced by the claim, and set the woman’s bail at $100,000. Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 9.
