Rapper Lil Tjay arrested then bailed amid Offset shooting

Lil Tjay has posted bond on his disorderly conduct charge in connection with the shooting of Offset in Florida.

The Calling My Phone rapper launched into an expletive-laden tirade as reporters questioned him on Tuesday on his way out of the Florida jail.

Recalling the scene of Monday’s shooting, he shared, “The last thing I seen was Offset looking at me like this, ‘Yo, that ni**a shot me. That ni**a shot me.’ La la la. Ni**a is a rat. Ni**a is a rat. I don’t do no damn fighting.”

When asked by NBC if he was the one who shot Offset, he countered, “I didn’t do no damn fighting. Did I shoot Offset? That s**t is crazy. I’ll slap the s**t out of Offset. He would never play with me like that in his life.”

Tjay, born Tione Merritt, was arrested and booked late on Monday on disorderly conduct charges at Broward County Jail with a $500 (£374) bond.

A spokesperson for the Seminole Police Department told Billboard that one person had been charged “in connection with the incident that took place Monday night at a valet area outside of Seminole Hard Rock”.

Tjay’s lawyer, Dawn Florio, dubbed reports associating Tjay with the Offset shooting as “false rumours”.

“Lil Tjay has not been shot, nor has Lil Tjay been charged with any shooting,” she said. “Any reporting to the contrary is false. We encourage people to consult trusted news sources, and to verify the accuracy of any reporting, before reflexively sharing or repeating baseless rumours.”

Offset, real name Kiari Cephus, was shot in the valet area outside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on Monday evening. He was hospitalised and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The rapper and ex of singer Cardi B was photographed by TMZ in a hospital gown, smoking a cigarette outside the hospital.