Shooting Update: Police Claim Lil Tjay Orchestrated Altercation Preceding Offset Shooting

‘He Directed the Fight’: Police Claim Lil Tjay Orchestrated Altercation Preceding Offset Shooting

HOLLYWOOD, FL — The investigation into the Monday night shooting of rapper Offset has taken a sharp turn as law enforcement officials now allege that Lil Tjay (Tione Merritt) was the primary catalyst for the violence. According to a report by TMZ and statements from the Seminole Police Department, investigators believe security footage shows the Bronx rapper "directing" his associates to initiate the brawl that ultimately led to gunfire.

While Lil Tjay has not been charged with the shooting itself, he was arrested and booked into the Broward County Jail on Monday night on charges of disorderly conduct-affray and operating a vehicle without a valid license.

The "Valet Ambush"

According to police sources who reviewed surveillance video from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the incident began when Lil Tjay allegedly jumped out of a vehicle in the valet area and began pointing at Offset’s party.

“Investigators believe Merritt directed members of his party to start a fight with another group of males,” a police spokesperson told Variety.

 

 

The scuffle quickly escalated into a multi-person brawl. During the chaos, an associate of Lil Tjay, who has also been detained, reportedly pulled a firearm and struck Offset in the leg. Offset was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

Lil Tjay Post-Release: “Na is a Rat”*

Lil Tjay was released on a $3,000 bond early Wednesday morning. Rather than keeping a low profile, the "F.N" rapper immediately took to social media and spoke to reporters outside the jail, launching a verbal assault on Offset and denying any physical involvement in the fight.

“Did I shoot Offset? That st is crazy,” Tjay said in a viral video. “I’ll smack the st out of Offset. He would never play like that with me in his life.”

More controversially, Tjay accused Offset of cooperating with the police at the scene. “The last thing I seen was Offset looking at me like this, ‘Yo, that na shot me!’ Na is a rat,” Tjay claimed, suggesting that the former Migos member pointed him out to arriving officers.

The $10,000 Debt: A Motive in Sight?

While police have not officially named a motive, the hip-hop community has pointed to a simmering feud that went public in January 2025. At the time, Lil Tjay claimed on a Twitch stream that he had loaned Offset $10,000 to cover gambling losses and that Offset had been "ducking" him ever since.

The Escalation of the Tjay-Offset Feud

Defense and Denial

Lil Tjay’s attorney, Dawn M. Florio, has maintained her client’s innocence regarding the shooting. In a statement, she urged the public to ignore "baseless rumors," emphasizing that Tjay was only charged with a misdemeanor and was not the gunman.

Offset, seemingly recovering well enough to check his phone, issued a brief rebuttal in The Shade Room's comment section on Wednesday: “U ain’t buss nun,” he wrote, dismissing Tjay’s tough-talk as posturing.

The Investigation Continues

Seminole Police confirmed that a second individual remains in custody, and they are actively seeking other members of the "party" who fled the scene. With Tjay’s claims of being a bystander contradicting police reports of him "directing" the fight, the legal battle is likely just beginning.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Offset remains under observation but is expected to be discharged later this week.