Lil Baby's Legal Team Fires Back at Atlanta Police Over "Shameful" Gang Allegations

Atlanta rapper Lil Baby is reportedly embroiled in a serious controversy after police tied him to a deadly gang-related shooting, and his legal team is responding. The hip-hop star's lawyers have condemned the Atlanta Police Department as "unethical" and "shameful" in its attempt to implicate his name in a crime he had nothing to do with.

The reaction came on the back of a press conference earlier this week in which Atlanta officials revealed the arrest of seven people in connection with the shooting deaths of two 13-year-old boys, Jakody Davis and Lamon Freeman, on July 2, 2024. The shooting stemmed from an ongoing turf war between rival gangs, 4PF and OMF; police say tensions they allege were fueled by an incident at Lil Baby's music video shoot in May 2024.

Major Ralph Woolfolk of the Atlanta Police Department even described Lil Baby's appearance in a rival gang's neighborhood as "cowardly," suggesting his conduct could have fueled the cycle of violence. But the rapper's attorneys, Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, swiftly condemned those assertions, describing them as "disgraceful" and "unprofessional."

"The portion of the press conference held on Wednesday by the Atlanta Police Department which made a thinly veiled reference to Lil Baby was utter and complete nonsense," his legal team said in a statement. "To say that he could not shoot a music video in his hometown, which he loves and has continued to uplift, is disgraceful.

In addition to denying any involvement, Lil Baby's legal representatives stressed how devastated the rapper is over the deaths of the two young victims. They emphasized that neither he nor his camp had any involvement in the crime and criticized the authorities for sloppily linking his name with such a harrowing event.

"The inappropriate and untimely bringing his name into a discussion about a horrible crime in which he had no involvement whatsoever is unprofessional, unethical and shameful," the lawyers said. "Those children were from the same neighborhood he was from and he will continue to uplift his community in any way that he could."

Lil Baby took to social media to address his arrest rumors, flatly denying any of those claims. In a short but straightforward message on Instagram Stories, he assured fans he was all right.

"Thank You Everyone For All The Concerns," he wrote. "Don't Be Misinformed From Fake News!! I'm Overly Good."

The plight raises broader questions about how law enforcement historically treats hip-hop artists. And even though Lil Baby is known for his well-documented philanthropic work in Atlanta, where he has financed initiatives and scholarship funds for that city, his name was still dragged into the controversy over the gang war. The vigorous pushback from his legal team indicates a mounting frustration with what many artists believe is a trend of unfair targeting.

In the meantime, Lil Baby is steadfastly focused on his music and improvement efforts in his community, swearing he won't get lost in the noise. It is also likely that this case's legal and cultural significance will be debated within and outside of the hip-hop world. But one thing is clear: his lawyers aren't letting this one pass.