A
disrespectful remark caused the fist fight that led to the fatal
shooting of famed LA tattoo artist Trigz in Los Angeles, claims the
manager of the store where the lethal brawl broke out.
According
to the manager, Trigz, whose real name is Michael Christopher Pebley,
was minding his own business in the Black Derby Smoke Shop on Thursday
afternoon when an apparent stranger upset him with a pointed remark
leaving the store.
Pebley,
who was sitting talking to the store owner, was angered and approached
the man, 'getting in his face', which sparked a 30 second fight inside,
which eventually spilled onto the sidewalk and ended with Pebley being
fatally shot outside the neighboring Tattoo & Body Piercing parlor.
Gone too soon: Tattoo artist to the stars Trigz was shot dead in broad daylight in North Hollywood on Thursday, according to TMZ
'The
suspect was already shopping inside when Pebley walked in and sat down
to talk to the owner,' said manager, James Mayen, who has also watched
the security footage of the fight from Thursday.
'The
suspect is making his way out of the store when he turns to Pebley and
says something, which makes Pebley leave his chair and walk straight
over to him.
'He gets in his face and the two begin arguing, which quickly descends into a huge fight inside, which then spills outside.'
The
witness, who was not at the store during the fight, said that according
to those who were, shots rang out and the suspect fled in a four-door
white Honda Accord.
Asked
what could have sparked such a violent and ultimately fatal fight, the
witness said that he had been told the suspect turned to Pebley and
asked him 'Where do I know you from?'
'That
might may sound like nothing, but round here the way you say that could
be the difference to starting a fight or not,' said Mayen.
Police
have said they do not know what the argument was about and are asking
for anyone with information on the shooting to call the authorities.
Tragic:
Michael Christopher Pebley - or Trigz - leaves behind five children,
including a young daughter Vida (pictured) and a fiancée
Witness Brandon Wilmot, 22, a security officer for Valley Plaza was working opposite the shop when the shooting took place.
‘He
got shot but nobody heard any of the gunshots or anything. The cops and
ambulance came up and they were trying to revive him for about five
minutes, then they ended up just pulling the white sheet over him,' said
Wilmot.
'When I walked down the street I could see the sheet over him and see his feet sticking out.
'He
was a known local person and a good guy. When the cops came the people
out of the tattoo shop came out and they were hysterical. A lot of his
apprentices work at that tattoo parlour.'
Pebley's friend, actor, Carlos Ayala, 35, said that it was 'probably fear that got Trigz killed.'
They got into a fight and nowadays someone can’t just take an ass whupping - they have to pull out a gun.
‘They should just take their ass whupping and y’know, “see ya another day,” why pull out a gun?
‘Violence
is going to be everywhere it doesn’t have to be gang violence or
whatever. People pull out guns because they’re intimidated.
‘I
worked with him on many videos. I’ve known him since 2002, we did SWAT
together and the video for Rick Ross’ Don’t Play No Games with Future.
‘Just because he looks how he looks people shouldn’t judge. He was a real nice guy.'
Loss: Trigz with his young daughter at his tattoo parlor in North Hollywood, California
The shooting occurred around 5:50 p.m. outside 5150 Tattoo & Body Piercing, near Laurel Canyon
The
famed tattoo artist worked with Chris Brown, Kylie Jenner's reported
boyfriend Tyga as well as Amber Rose's soon-to-be-ex Wiz Khalifa and
musician Travis Barker.
'He was a really good guy,' said friend Desirae Howell to NBC Los Angeles.. 'He was a family guy. He was very intelligent.'
Just
after news broke of the murder, which is believed to have taken place
at 5:50 pm, Brown tweeted, 'RIP homie. S*** it crazy!'
Only
hours after the fatal shooting, friends, family and mourners put
together a makeshift memorial for Pebley outside the shop.
The artist and an unidentified man were believed to have had a verbal altercation before the gun was fired.
Trigz
was a famed tattoo and graffiti artist, actor and model. He also became
part of an exclusive worldwide group of artists called The Seventh Letter, fellow member and friend Willie T told Eyewitness News.
Mourners visited a North Hollywood tattoo business after they heard the new of Trigz death on Thursday evening
Venice
photographer and skater Pep Williams announced Trigz's death on his
Facebook page last night, saying, "Lost another brother just a couple of
hours ago. Many good memories from shooting, grubbing and hanging at
the traphouse. Love you brother."
Police told TMZ the shooting took place in front of the Black Derby Smoke Shop, which sells glass blown pipes.
The
suspect was described as a Hispanic male in his thirties. He left the
scene of the crime in a white, early nineties Honda Accord, according to
the Los Angeles Police Department.
A witness told ABC Los Angeles that approximately four gunshots were heard before Trigz's body was found.
The LAPD confirmed Trigz died at the scene. A witness says he heard four gunshots overall.
Trigz left behind five children, three daughters and a son.
He
was often used as a model in music videos and in magazine shoots and
was a member of the renowned Seventh Letter graffiti artist crew.
Trigz, a.k.a. Mr. Trigger, worked out of Sincity Tattoo in Pacoima, where he specialized in body piercing.
He had a big following: Trigz and friends with Chris Brown in an Instagram photo
Trigz’s son has started a GoFundMe account to help pay for his funeral expenses.
Pebley's
two sons, Michael and Anthony both expressed their pain at the death of
their father by posting a picture of them both sitting on his knee
dating from 1997.
In
a Facebook message, Anthony said that he was 'gonna miss' his father
and 'we had a lot of s**t I wish we could have worked out before this. I
love you.'
Michael,
who has set up a GoFundMe page was equally distraught, asking friends,
family and members of the public to help donate money for his father's
funeral.
Fathers and sons: Michael (left) and Anthony (right) sitting with their father in this picture taken around 1997
Grief: Michael Christopher Pebley with Honey Miranda - his fiancée - in a series of pictures she uploaded to Facebook on Friday
Despite the glowing tributes paid by friends, the veteran tattoo artist was known for his checkered history with the law.
As
recently as 2009, Pebley, or Trigz, was incarcerated in Ironwood State
Prison in Blythe serving a six year sentence for graffiti.
He
was arrested on 12 counts of vandalism and while he only served around
18 months, the prison sentence was seen as harsh nonetheless.
Speaking to local media about his time in jail, Pebley said that prison was as good as could be expected.
'I've
got some cool homies who have stayed tough for me on the streets which
helps a villain keep my head high and my eyes open in this shark tank,'
said Pebley.
He
also touched on his body art being a source of prejudice and claimed
that he was dealt with differently by the courts because of them.
Another fan: The LA-based artist also
worked on rapper Tyga, who is rumoured to be dating Kylie Jenner; here
he is pictured with the beauty and her sister Kendall Jenner in February
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