A 19-year-old rapper was shot and killed unintentionally in North Philadelphia, police said

A 19-year-old rapper who was shot and killed in North Philadelphia over the weekend may have been unintentionally struck by a bullet fired from a member of his own crew, police say.

Officers responded to the 2500 block of Harlan Street around 5:40 p.m. Sunday and found over a dozen shell casings from three different caliber guns, and a trail of blood down the block, said Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore.

Namir Jernigan, better known as local rapper “Jumpout BM,” had been shot in the head, and friends rushed him to Temple University Hospital, where he died three hours later, Vanore said.

Police initially investigated the shooting as a homicide, but after recovering surveillance video from the scene, detectives believe it may have been an accident, Vanore said, declining to elaborate.

But according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of the shooting, detectives believe Jernigan and two others were on the block to commit a shooting themselves. As the three fired down the street, one of the bullets unintentionally struck Jernigan in the head, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The source said surveillance video recovered from the scene shows three men with guns getting out of a car and running around the corner. Within seconds, they are seen carrying Jernigan’s body to the car, then rushing him to the hospital.

No weapons have been recovered.

There is no video of the shooting, said the source, only the before and after — but shell casings recovered from the scene were concentrated in one area, and there was no evidence that indicated someone fired back from down the block. No one else was struck by gunfire, the source said.

Relatives of Jernigan could not be reached.

Jernigan was a fairly well-known voice in Philadelphia’s drill rap scene. Just days ago, he released a song called “Murder 1.”

Drill music has been on the rise in Philadelphia for the last five years — and has become an increasing driver of shootings, alongside social media, police have said. The music, a subgenre of hip-hop that originated in Chicago in the mid-2010s, is known for lyrics depicting and sometimes glorifying violence. “Drill” is another word for a shooting.

The style has become controversial — some young people see it as a way to make money and gain recognition in the music industry, and as an outlet for young Black men to document the reality and struggles around the cycle of gun violence.

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But authorities say rappers have used it to antagonize members of rival crews and diss people who’ve died — something that can fuel retaliatory shootings and further the pain of victim’s families. The result is that the city has seen multiple drill rappers killed or charged with murders in recent years.

Sadiq Dove, better known as “Deek Loko,” was fatally shot in July, and Anthony Watson, a.k.a. “Blumberg Geez,” was shot and killed last year while on the run for a homicide.

Among those accused of murder are Aysir Clarke, a.k.a. Lil’ Bape, who is charged with killing a 16-year-old; Semaj Nolan, a.k.a. “Reek12Hunnit, who was convicted of killing two teens in one day; and Kyzir Reeves, or “HopOutBlick,” who is in custody after being charged in connection with a shooting that killed three teens last April. Jahlil Williams, a.k.a. “25st Bill,” is set to go to trial next month on allegations he shot and killed a 14-year-old in 2021.