Halifax man charged with 2nd-degree murder in shooting death of Shakur Jefferies

A 21-year-old Halifax rapper has been charged with second-degree murder following the weekend killing of a young man in the city.

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Officers found the body of 21-year-old Shakur Jefferies between two apartment buildings on Washmill Lake Drive on Saturday evening after they were called to the scene after receiving several reports of shots being fired.

READ MORE: Young man found dead following Halifax shooting

Five men were taken into custody, three have since been released.

Police have charged Carvel Clayton, 21, of Halifax with second-degree murder.

“It’s still very early in this investigation so there is definitely more information that needs to come forward,” said Halifax Regional Police Const. Phil Power. “We are definitely putting the pull out to the public that if anyone did see anything or has any information, that they call us or CrimeStoppers.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's still very early in this investigation so there is definitely more information that needs to come forward," said Halifax Regional Police Const. Phil Power. "We are definitely putting the pull out to the public that if anyone did see anything or has any information, that they call us or CrimeStoppers."

Another man remains in police custody with his parole revoked. His name has not yet been released.

At this time, police are not ruling out that additional charges could be laid. Officers say they do not believe the fatal shooting is connected to any other recent homicides in the municipality but are investigating all possibilities.

“Many homicides are related in one form or another but right now, since this is very early in our investigation, we cannot definitely say that anything is linked at this time,” Power said.

Clayton, a local rapper who also goes by the name Certified, released a song earlier this year calling for an end to gun violence after a string of shootings in the city left four young men dead.

LISTEN: Certified’s song “Murder (Pray For Scotia)”

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Police say it’s concerning that an individual would speak up against gun violence and then allegedly commit a homicide.

Clayton is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 2. He has not yet entered a plea on the charge of second-degree murder.