Homicide investigators in B.C. say it’s not yet clear whether the murders of two up-and-coming Toronto rappers on opposite ends of the country are linked.
Police have identified Keeshawn Brown, also known as rapper Why-S, as the 18-year-old man who was found suffering from fatal gunshot wounds in a Surrey, B.C., home around 9:30 p.m. Monday.
Around 3 a.m. Tuesday, Durham Regional Police responded to reports of shots fired in Oshawa, Ont., and found 24-year-old Jahquar Stewart, who performed as Bvlly and was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Saturday, Det. Lara Jansen with B.C.’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said Brown had been targeted in the shooting, and that he was the only one inside the South Surrey home at the time.
The owner of the property has not been disclosed.
She added Brown was not known to police in B.C., and could not speak to whether he had run-ins with police in Ontario. His name does not show up in Ontario court records.
“We’re just trying to establish what Mr. Brown was doing in B.C.,” Jansen said.
“We really don’t know how long he has been out here. What we’re trying to do is identify anybody who was with him or anybody who has information as to what he was doing out here.”
Jansen also couldn’t speak to whether the murders of Brown and Stewart were connected.
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A spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service could not confirm whether it had been contacted by IHIT or Durham Regional Police in regards to either case.
He also couldn’t speak to whether Brown or Stewart had histories with TPS, saying their last names were “too common” to make the connection.
In an email, a Durham police spokesperson said investigators “don’t see any indication of a connection between the two deaths.”
No arrests have been made in either case. Jansen said the suspect in Brown’s murder likely knew him, but DRP have not made the same statement about Stewart’s killer.
Brown and Stewart were considered up-and-coming rappers in the Toronto hip-hop scene.
They were both featured on songs included on the NorthernSound playlist curated by 6ixBuzz, a Toronto-focused hip-hop and entertainment blog that has also premiered music videos by the two artists.
Earlier this year, Why-S released singles and videos for the tracks John Wick and Swagmine, which have racked up more than 300,000 views on YouTube.
This year also saw Bvlly release the album Made in Austria. His Spotify account says he has 46,910 monthly listeners.
His biography on the music streaming service said his goal was to “challenge the hip-hop game with his talented wordplay, hard work and dedication to become an award-winning rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer.”
Anyone with information helpful to either investigation is asked to contact either IHIT or Durham Regional Police.
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