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Lil Tjay shot? Offset shooting near Florida casino fuels rumors; 'owed him money'
DJ Akademiks, a YouTuber, claimed on Kick that Tione Jayden Merritt or Lil Tjay was also shot alongside former Migos member Offset near the Florida casino.
Offset or Kiari Kendrell Cephus, the former Migos rapper, was shot near the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on Monday. He is reported to be in stable condition but unverified claims have been made on social media that Tione Jayden Merritt or Lil Tjay was also shot in the incident.
DJ Akademiks, a YouTuber, made the claim of Lil Tjay being shot. This was also reported on by HotNewHipHop, an online publication covering hip-hop and pop culture. DJ Akademiks also went on to explain how the shooting occurred after a fight allegedly broke out between the two. He was live on Kick, when he put forward his claims.
However, there is no official confirmation of Lil Tjay being shot. TMZ spoke to the Seminole County Police who provided an update about Offset, but made no mention of Lil Tjay. The rapper's representatives also do not appear to have commented on the matter.
The 24-year-old's social media profiles also do not indicate anything about where he might have been. Thus, claims of Lil Tjay's shooting remain unconfirmed. There were also social media claims of Lil Tjay dying after being shot, but these remain unconfirmed as of now. HT.com could not independently verify the claims of Lil Tjay's shooting.
Ceddy Nash, a music artist, appeared on video saying ‘Lil Tjay allegedly shot Offset in the butt after Offset reportedly beat up Lil Tjay at the Hard Rock and then started walking off, which is when Tjay shot him’.
However, many speculated amid claims of the fight breaking out that it could have been over Offset owing Lil Tjay money.
One said, “Akademiks says Lil Tjay told him in their upcoming interview that his issues with Offset began after he loaned him $10K and Offset didn’t repay it, telling him to 'get it back in blood'.” Another person commented “Apparently he borrowed money from tjay and never gave it back.” Yet another remarked “Not offset owing Celina Powell and lil tjay 10k each.”
Offset owed Lil Tjay money? What to know
Lil Tjay and Offset's beef over an alleged $10,000 began in 2025. Vibe, which covers hip-hop and Black culture, reported that Lil Tjay had lashed out at Offset, speculating that the former Migos member had a gambling addiction, and that he owed him money for a loan.
“Why I diss Offset? Offset broke,” Lil Tjay had reportedly said. “I’ll tell y’all a true story, I seen the ni**a in the casino. He was popped, he was panicking. He was asking random people for cash apps, he was broke,” Lil Tjay continued.
Lil Tjay added “I don’t know why but nobody was answering his phone call. He must got a gambling addiction.” Lil Tjay had explained his reasoning at the time, thinking Offset would be good for returning his money to him. However, he claimed to have never gotten the money back.
Lil Tjay added “I see like 13 bands in loans. I don’t know who got paid back that day, you feel me. Word to my mother, this ni**a’s ducked me for so long, boy. Mind you, I’m 23 and this is ‘raindrop, drop-top,’ Cardi B husband.”
