Ohio rapper Boog the Bandit, real name Courtney Nicole Bruce, was shot during an attempted robbery on May 20th, 2021. After walking herself to Mount Carmel Hospital, she was later pronounced dead. She was 27 years old.
According to police the shooting happened late in the evening on Thursday, Bruce and another unnamed person were sitting in a car on the corner of East Livingston Avenue and Beechwood Road when a group of men armed with handguns approached them. Several shots were fired after a confrontation and alleged attempted robbery, police say.
Boog the Bandit, real name Courtney Nicole Bruce and Ohio native, first broke onto the scene with her February 2020 single “Hot Topic” after a career in modeling, and then following that with “Lonely” later that year, and “Heart Away” and “Risky” in 2021. The singles had begun to make traction in the music world, all three music videos passing the 100k view mark.
She was also setting up to collaborate with rapper Trippie Red, fellow Columbus native, before her untimely death.
DJ IQ, host of “The Catch-Up Show” on Columbus iHeartMedia station 1067 The Beat, recalls listening to Boog’s music to HipHopDX.
“I feel like I was listening to a superstar in the making when I heard her music, she was a natural at what she did in hip hop and in life.” He told the outlet.
Anyone with information on the incident is encouraged to contact the Columbus Police Homicide unit at (641) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614( 461-TIPS (8477)
Police have no leads on a potential suspect and have not named the person in the car with the victim at this time.