Young Scooter Death: Cause, False 911 Call, and Charges

Atlanta rapper Young Scooter, whose legal name was Kenneth Edward Bailey, died on March 28, 2025, his 39th birthday, after a foot chase with Atlanta police ended with a severe leg wound he sustained while vaulting a wooden fence. The Fulton County Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident. Officers did not shoot him and did not use force against him. Police had been sent to the southeast Atlanta home by a 911 call that turned out to be fabricated, and the woman who made that call, 31-year-old Demetria Spence, was arrested days later on a felony charge.¹

Cause of Death

Bailey bled to death from a wound to his right thigh. According to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, he “injured himself on organic (wooden) fencing material and/or woody debris after vaulting at least one fence,” producing a “penetrating injury of his right thigh that created marked blood loss.”² The wound was not a gunshot injury. Officers applied a tourniquet at the scene and rushed him to Grady Memorial Hospital’s Marcus trauma center, where he was pronounced dead.³

The Atlanta Police Department said officers “neither discharged their firearms nor used any force against Mr. Bailey.”⁴ Because Bailey died following a police encounter, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation opened an independent probe. As of early April 2025, the GBI investigation was “active and ongoing,” and the agency said it would submit its case file to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for review once complete.⁵ Reporting at the time noted it was unclear why Bailey ran from police.⁶

The False 911 Call That Sent Police to the House

At about 5:23 p.m. on March 28, 2025, Atlanta police were dispatched to the 200 block of William Nye Drive SE in the Lakewood Heights neighborhood.¹ The caller, identified as Demetria Spence, described herself as part of a “neighborhood watch” and told dispatchers armed men were beating a woman “bloody,” dragging her back inside the house, and holding her and a baby hostage.⁷ She also reported gunfire and suggested drug dealing and sex trafficking were happening inside.⁶

None of that checked out. Atlanta Police homicide commander Lt. Andrew Smith later said investigators “have not been able to substantiate any of that.”⁶ Spence was not at the scene when officers arrived.⁷

What Happened at the Scene

Officers knocked on the door of the residence. A man opened it and immediately shut it on them, so police cordoned off the area and set up a perimeter. As the perimeter was being established, two men fled from the rear of the house. One went back inside. The second, Kenneth Bailey, ran and jumped two fences.³ Officers found him on the other side with the thigh wound that killed him.

Charges Against Demetria Spence

Atlanta police spent four days searching for the caller before arresting Spence on April 1, 2025. She was booked into the Fulton County Jail and charged with transmitting a false public alarm, a felony under Georgia law when a false report leads to serious bodily harm or death.⁷ Under Georgia Code § 16-10-28, a first conviction on the enhanced offense carries up to ten years in prison and a mandatory minimum fine of $5,000.⁸

Spence waived her first court appearance on April 2, 2025. A judge set her bond at $7,500 and ordered her to stay away from the scene, avoid weapons, and have no contact with witnesses.⁹

Spence, who also goes by Demi Blanco, went on Instagram Live on April 1 and admitted the details she gave dispatchers were untrue. She said she made the call to “protect herself” because she had been “a victim of abuse multiple times,” though she did not explain how that related to the William Nye Drive house.¹⁰ She also said she “never had any intentions to get anybody hurt.”¹¹ Police did not publicly disclose a motive, and reporting found no established connection between Spence and Bailey.⁴

Who Young Scooter Was

Kenneth Edward Bailey was born on March 28, 1986, in Walterboro, South Carolina, and built his career in Atlanta’s mixtape-driven rap scene. A childhood friend of the rapper Future, he released music primarily through his own label, Black Migo Gang, with additional releases through Empire and RBC. He gained attention with the 2012 single “Colombia” and broke through with the 2013 mixtape Street Lottery. Later projects included the mixtapes Jugg King (2017) and Trap Hero (2019), a collaboration with producer Zaytoven called Zaystreet (2020), and his first proper album, Trippple Cross (2018).¹²

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People. Young Scooter Cause of Death Revealed
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Billboard. Young Scooter Cause of Death
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The Guardian. Rapper Young Scooter Dead Atlanta
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Axios. Rapper Young Scooter Death Demi Blanco Demetria Spence
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Georgia Bureau of Investigation. GBI Investigates In-Custody Death Atlanta
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ABC News. Woman Charged With Allegedly Making False 911 Call
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FOX 5 Atlanta. Young Scooter Death Suspect 911 Caller Arrested
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Justia. Georgia Code Section 16-10-28
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11Alive. Mugshot Released of Woman Arrested After False 911 Call Tied to Young Scooter’s Death
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Complex. Woman Arrested Alleged False 911 Call Young Scooter Death
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Vibe. Swatter Young Scooter Death Contradicts 911 Call
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AllMusic. Young Scooter