Rapper Chris King Killed in Nashville: Four Charged With Murder

Rapper Chris King was killed in Nashville on April 20, 2024, shot during an attempted robbery in an alleyway between Hayes Street and Church Street in Midtown around 2:30 a.m. Four men have since been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the case, with the final arrest coming in May 2026, more than two years after the shooting.¹

What Happened That Night

King, born Christopher Cheeks and 32 years old, was in Nashville to perform at a festival called Nashville Cannafest, which he had played the evening of April 19.² In the early morning hours of April 20, he and a group of friends were in an alleyway near a music studio on Hayes Street when three men approached them. According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the group interacted “cordially for some time” before the men tried to rob them. King’s father, Christopher Cheeks Sr., later said the suspects were after a gold chain.³

Gunfire broke out. A 29-year-old friend of King’s was shot and found on Church Street; King ran and was found in the parking garage of the nearby Hayes Street Hotel. Both were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. King’s friend was expected to recover. King died from his injuries at the hospital.¹

The Four Men Charged With Murder

Each of the four defendants faces a first-degree murder charge, along with robbery and gun-related counts. The arrests came one at a time across three states.

Amir Carroll

Carroll, 19, was arrested on the night of February 26, 2025, on East Thompson Lane in Nashville. Police identified him as a “known associate” of another suspect and said he was present at the shooting. He faces more than ten charges, including first-degree premeditated murder, especially aggravated robbery, and felony weapon possession, and was held on a $250,000 bond.⁴

Adrian Cameron Jr.

Cameron, then 19, was the first suspect publicly named by Nashville police. When King was shot, Cameron was already out on bond in the September 2021 murder of Josh Evans, a 50-year-old man from Lebanon, Tennessee, and was wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor.⁵ Investigators say he cut the monitor off shortly after the shooting and fled Nashville. In May 2025, MNPD, the FBI, and an LAPD task force located him outside a home in Los Angeles. He was arrested and extradited to Nashville.⁶

Trayvon Palmer

Palmer, 33, was arrested on February 17, 2026, by deputy U.S. Marshals at an apartment complex on Tropicana Boulevard in Las Vegas. He had been wanted on a multi-count indictment charging first-degree murder, robbery, and gun offenses, and was held at the Clark County Detention Center pending extradition to Nashville.⁷

Jason Valentine

Valentine, 21, was the fourth and final suspect arrested. On May 5, 2026, the MNPD TITANS Unit stopped his vehicle on Glenrose Avenue in Nashville and took him into custody. He had already been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and gun offenses, and is being held on a $500,000 bond.⁸

Where the Case Stands

Nashville police described Valentine’s arrest as the “fourth and final” in the case, meaning no additional suspects are being sought.¹ As of May 2026, all four defendants remain jailed in Nashville on first-degree murder charges. No trial dates have been publicly announced.⁹

Who Chris King Was

King grew up in California and had been performing music since he was nine, according to his father.¹⁰¹¹¹² Tributes after his death came from Bieber, Trippie Redd, Machine Gun Kelly, Keke Palmer, Westside Gunn, Coi Leray, and Mozzy, among others.¹³

1
WKRN. Metro Police Arrest Fourth Suspect in Rapper’s 2024 Murder
2
WPXI. Rapper Chris King, 32, Killed in Nashville Shooting
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NewsChannel 5. California Rapper Chris King Fatally Shot in Nashville
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WSMV. Teen Arrested, Most Wanted Suspect Remains at Large in Shooting Death of Rapper in Nashville
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Nashville.gov. Murder Fugitive Adrian Cameron Jr. Arrested in Los Angeles
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Complex. Chris King Suspected Murderer Arrested in Los Angeles
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WKRN. Third Suspect Arrested in Las Vegas in Connection With California Rapper’s 2024 Murder
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Nashville.gov. Fourth Arrest in 2024 Murder of Christopher Cheeks
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The Tennessean. 4th Arrest in Nashville Shooting Death of Rapper Chris King
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WSMV. Dad Mourning After Shooting Death of Son, Rapper Chris King
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Billboard. Chris King Dead; Justin Bieber, Trippie Redd, Machine Gun Kelly React
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People. Justin Bieber Pays Tribute to Rapper Chris King After Fatal Shooting
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USA Today. Chris King Death Tributes