The Slim 400 shooting killed Compton rapper Vincent Cohran Jr. outside his Inglewood home on December 8, 2021. The gunman, Michael Lanell Terry, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in July 2024 and was sentenced to 32 years in state prison. A co-defendant, Tamra Lynn Bell, pleaded guilty to felony accessory after the fact.
What Happened the Night of the Shooting
Inglewood Police Department officers responded to gunfire near Manchester Boulevard and 7th Avenue shortly before 8 p.m. on December 8, 2021. They found Cohran wounded in the front yard of his home, in the 8600 block of South 7th Avenue.1CBS News Los Angeles. Killer of LA Rapper Slim 400 Sentenced to 32 Years for Inglewood Shooting Investigators said he had been shot during a struggle with a gunman as he was getting out of his car.2ABC7 Los Angeles. Slim 400 Shot and Killed; Two Arrested in Connection With Rapper’s Fatal Shooting Paramedics took him to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he died. He was 33.
No motive for the killing was publicly disclosed by investigators or prosecutors in the reporting on the case.2ABC7 Los Angeles. Slim 400 Shot and Killed; Two Arrested in Connection With Rapper’s Fatal Shooting
The Arrests
The case went unsolved for about six months. On June 9, 2022, Inglewood homicide detectives arrested two suspects: Michael Lanell Terry, then 33, of Los Angeles, and Tamra Lynn Bell, 42, of Inglewood. Both were booked into the Inglewood City Jail, and on June 13 the department presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.3City of Inglewood. Inglewood Police Department Civic Alert
Prosecutors initially charged Terry with murder and sought bail of more than $3 million. Bell’s bail was set at $1 million.2ABC7 Los Angeles. Slim 400 Shot and Killed; Two Arrested in Connection With Rapper’s Fatal Shooting Terry had a prior criminal record that included a 2017 robbery conviction and a 2019 conviction for possession of a firearm by a felon.4KFI AM 640. Ex-Con Charged in Rapper’s Shooting Death in Inglewood
The Plea and 32-Year Sentence
The case never went to trial. On July 15, 2024, Terry pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. He admitted to using a firearm during the crime and acknowledged a prior felony strike conviction. The next day, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Altus Hudson sentenced him at the Inglewood courthouse to 32 years in state prison.5Los Angeles Times. Rapper Slim 400 Killer Sentencing Terry had been in custody since his June 2022 arrest.6Daily Breeze. Man Gets 32-Year Sentence for Killing Rapper Slim 400 in Inglewood The case was handled by the DA’s Community Violence Reduction Unit.7Complex. Slim 400 Murderer Gets 32-Year Prison Sentence
In a statement after sentencing, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said, “Our hearts go out to the families of Mr. Cohran, an artist in the Los Angeles community who was taken far too soon by a tragic act of gun violence.”5Los Angeles Times. Rapper Slim 400 Killer Sentencing
Bell pleaded guilty to felony accessory after the fact. Her sentencing was scheduled for January 15, 2025.8FOX 11 Los Angeles. Man Gets 32 Years in Compton Rapper Slim 400’s Shooting Death
Who Slim 400 Was
Vincent Cohran Jr. was born on June 21, 1988, in Frankfurt, Germany, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Army. The family moved to the Los Angeles area when he was an infant, and he grew up in Compton, attending Compton High School.9BlackPast. Slim 400 (Vincent Cohran, 1988-2021) He was discovered by Pu$haz Ink, the record label associated with rapper YG, and released his debut single “Turn Up” with YG and Kidoe in 2013. His most recent album, “Ice Wata Army,” came out in August 2021, months before his death. He also collaborated with Young Dolph on the 2019 single “Shake Back.”10Los Angeles Times. Slim 400 Death Shooting Inglewood
Earlier Shootings He Survived
The 2021 killing was not Cohran’s first encounter with gun violence. At 19, he was shot and wounded while driving through a neighborhood in the Compton area; a passenger in his car was killed. In 2019, while visiting family in Compton, he was shot nine times in a drive-by and spent two weeks in the hospital.9BlackPast. Slim 400 (Vincent Cohran, 1988-2021) He later described being “ambushed” and credited a family member with braving gunfire to save his life.11The Independent. Slim 400 Rapper Dead Tributes After surviving, he told interviewers, “I’m going to do right, bro. I ain’t going to be in the streets. I ain’t going to be doing the dumb stuff.”5Los Angeles Times. Rapper Slim 400 Killer Sentencing