Famed producer Dr. Dre's Beats By Dre headphones are reportedly the cause of a man losing his life over the weekend in Philadelphia.
Details of the fatal shooting surfaced online early Monday (December 2).
The sounds of children playing on a Lebanon Avenue sidewalk Saturday afternoon didn’t curb a shooter. An armed man opened fire on Christian Massey, 21, in a nearby alley. The armed man first demanded Massey’s Dr. Dre Beats headphones. Massey did not comply and tried to run, witnesses say. The suspect shot five rounds, striking and killing Massey. The headphones lay near Massey’s lifeless body. He had purchased them for about $300 on Black Friday. (NBC Philadelphia)
Despite witnesses to the shooting, police reportedly have no leads or suspects.
“To me, he was my child,” said Eula Hodge, his grandmother. “Why did they have to shoot him. They didn’t get what they shot him for so he was shot for nothing.” His goal was to play basketball and buy a house for himself and his sisters. Philadelphia Police have no leads and are seeking the public’s help with identifying a suspect. (NBC Philadelphia)
Last year, reports revealed Beats By Dre were one of the hottest items amongst thieves.
The city’s thugs have a new favorite to go with their stolen iPhones — stolen Dr. Dre headphones. The legendary rapper’s pricey, high-tech headphones, called Beats by Dr. Dre, are the new rage among bandits because they’re seen as “status symbols,” a police source said. Although they have yet to dethrone the iPhone as thieves’ top target, the headphones — which retail for $300 to $500 — are being snatched from kids at an alarming rate since the latest model hit the market at around Christmas. “They’re very hot among thieves,” the source said. “It’s like, ‘I see it. I want it. I can have it. I’m taking it for me, or my sister needs a pair,’ ” the source said, adding that crooks also resell them. (New York Post)
Back in September, Beats By Dre reportedly found a $500 million investor.
Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre have found the deep-pocketed investor they were seeking for Beats Electronics. Carlyle Group, a DC-based private-equity firm, is investing $500 million for a minority stake in the company, The Wall Street Journal reports, The new investment values beats at more than $1 billion, significantly north of the roughly $600 million valuation put on the company by an investment from HTC two years ago. Carlyle will become a shareholder and is expected to take two of the six seats on Beats’ board. (HITS Daily Double)
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