The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office said on Friday that the Chicago drill rapper King Von was fatally shot during a gunfight last November outside an Atlanta hookah lounge. The king von autopsy recorded six different gunshot wounds, three to the chest, including one that exited his lower left side; one in the neck; one in the left shoulder; another on the upper right arm and a sixth in the head.
The rapper known professionally as King Von, Dayvon Bennett, 26; was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle after the shooting and he was pronounced dead on Nov. 6, 2020. Two others were also killed that morning, and six more were wounded as gunfire erupted in what investigators said was a dispute between rival groups.
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What Happened Outside the Monaco Hookah Lounge
The gunfire erupted at around 3:20 a.m. in front of Monaco Hookah Lounge on Trinity Avenue in downtown Atlanta. King Von and his crew were there when they crossed paths with members of the crew of the rapper Quando Rondo.
An argument between the two groups escalated into a physical confrontation in the parking lot, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Within minutes, gunfire broke out. Security at the venue was also provided by two off-duty Atlanta police officers, and an on-duty patrol officer assigned to work in the area responded. All three officers shot at the scene.
Investigators believed that Bennett had been shot during the midst of an exchange of gunfire between the two groups before police arrived and tried to stop it, Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Timothy Peek told reporters at the scene.
Mark Blakley, 34, of Chicago was pronounced dead at the scene by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. A third victim was also fatally shot. Six more were shot, and one person was hit by a car as crowds dispersed.
Medical Examiner Findings
On November 6, 2020, the Fulton County Medical Examiner conducted its autopsy. The autopsy found that the death was a homicide provoked by multiple gunshots.
The medical examiner documented:
Three bullets fired into the chest
A single bullet in the neck area
One bullet in the right arm or hand
One gunshot wound to the head
Forensic examiners discovered burned powder particles on Bennett’s skin, an indication that at least some of the shots were fired at close range. This physical evidence corroborated the witness testimony and video that’s shown the conflicting groups were close together at least when shooting first started.
The screen however did reveal the existence of items in Bennett’s system at the time he died, though they were not referenced as causes contributing to his death. The manner of death was ruled a homicide, the medical examiner said.
Autopsy Photos Leaked Online
Days after King Von was killed, graphic images from his autopsy began circulating online. Images displayed Bennett’s body on an examination table, his corpse lacerated with incisions from the autopsy that cut across his torso.
The leak prompted immediate backlash. King Von’s sister, Kayla B., took to social media and revealed a mortuary employee was behind the leak, demanding that they be fired.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office released a statement on November 10, 2020, asserting that their office had not leaked or sold the photographs. The statement said the photos could have been taken after Bennett’s body was transferred from their facility to a funeral home, but did not offer details.
No arrests or criminal charges in connection with the leak of the autopsy photo were ever announced. The individual who circulated the images was never publicly named.
Case Dropped Against Timothy Leeks
On November 7, 2020, Atlanta police arrested Timothy Leeks, a 22-year-old rapper called “Lul Tim”, who was an associate of Quando Rondo. Leeks was charged with felony murder in Bennett’s killing.
Leeks was released from Fulton County Jail on $100,000 bond on March 27, 2021. The case traveled through the court for more than two years.
All of the charges against Leeks were dismissed in August 2023 prior to indictment. His lawyer, Noah Pines, confirmed the charges were dropped to media outlets and said it was done so because of Georgia’s stand-your-ground law. The law grants the right of self-defense with deadly force but eliminates the duty to retreat.
No one else has been arrested in King Von’s death.
Federal Murder-for-Hire Case Is Tied to Shooting
In October 2024, federal law enforcement apprehended Chicago rapper Lil Durk outside of the Miami International Airport on charges related to a conspiracy to commit murder for hire. King Von had been signed to Lil Durk’s “Only the Family” recording label and the two were friends.
FBI claimed Durk arranged a hit on Quando Rondo in wake of King Von’s murder Durk’s crew tracked Rondo in Los Angeles in 2022 and opened fire at a gas station, according to the federal indictment. Rondo lived, but his cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, did not.
The federal case put a fresh spotlight on King Von’s killing, which remains unsolved, as well as the dropped charges against Leeks.
Unanswered Questions Four Years Later
King Von was buried at Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois on November 14, 2020. His posthumous albums “What It Means to Be King” and “Grandson” came out in 2022 and 2023.
The king’s autopsy and his death are still shrouded in mystery, which cause more fans to wonder about things. With the only suspect left free after charges were dropped and no additional arrests on the horizon, from a criminal justice perspective, the case is closed. Another layer of controversy was added when his autopsy images were leaked, a release that revealed holes in protocols intended to shield the dead.
At 26, Bennett’s death robbed him of a career that had been gaining steam within Chicago’s drill music scene. His storytelling ability on songs like “Crazy Story” and “Took Her to the O” helped him grow famous outside of his city. The violence that served as the backdrop to so much of his music killed him outside an Atlanta nightclub, leaving unanswered questions about who pulled the trigger, and why those responsible have yet to be held accountable.
