Although the mess seems far from over, the events that led up to the April 2015 shooting of rapper Lil Wayne’s tour bus seem to be somewhat more clear, though the exact reasons behind them remain a mystery. Acccording to Ambrosia For Heads, James “Jimmy” Carlton Winfrey turned himself into authorities in June for the Atlanta, Georgia, crime. It was recorded in police documents that at one time, Jimmy had been a road manager for Young Thug. Today, Winfrey pleaded guilty to six counts (of 27 indictments) of Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. The Cobb County, Georgia, DA’s office says that Winfrey was sentenced to 20 years. He will serve 10 years behind bars and 10 years on probation.

“Mr. Winfrey was indicted on 27 counts, including four counts of racketeering, eight counts of Violation of Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, 12 counts of aggravated assault, two counts of criminal damage to property, and one count of possession of a firearm during commission of a felony.”

Assistant District Attorney Don Geary testified to the court that Winfrey was in the vehicle, a Chevrolet Camaro, that was indicated as responsible for the drive-by shooting of the tour bus. Geary also maintains that Jimmy is a confirmed gang member, although which gang is not clear, and associates of Winfrey’s have had ties to the Bloods and The Crips. A dozens-page long indictment reports that Winfrey, while using Birdman’s phone, may have spoken to Young Thug in the hours following the April shooting, which injured nobody. Both Birdman and Young Thug stridently deny involvement in the shooting, saying that there is no way they would risk their careers, and Young Thug has claimed that he “loves” Lil Wayne. Young Thug, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, also says he would not risk his financial future — that everything he does is for money.

Not since the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur dispute, with both rappers’ lives ending in unsolved murders, has there been this much contempt among groups of rappers. The difficulty started when Lil Wayne began to have professional issues with his record label owner, Birdman, and decided to part ways. At that point in time, Young Thug was also on Birdman’s label, and was close friends with Lil Wayne. Perhaps the triangle was too much for Thug, because while he has maintained his love for Lil Wayne, the two very clearly parted ways while Young Thug stood beside Birdman. Although there appeared to be a brief reconciliation between Young Thug and Lil Wayne in early summer, shortly thereafter an indictment from Cobb County suggested that Young Thug and Birdman were both implicated in the drive-by shooting.

Unfortunately, it is not Young Thug’s first or only brush with the law. The “Check” rapper is only 24 years old but already has an impressive rap sheet, and has stated, “I f**k with Crips.” He was in an Atlanta mall last spring with his entourage when some type of disturbance occurred and a mall security officer asked him to leave. He refused, telling the officer that he was going to shoot him. The mall called the Atlanta police, and by the time they arrived, Young Thug was gone, but the severity of the threat caused a search warrant to be issued for Young Thug’s Atlanta residence. During the search, numerous illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia were recovered, leading to more charges for Young Thug.

Regardless, Young Thug continues to make headlines and massive amounts of money while touring Europe. A U.S. judge gave him permission to leave the country to tour despite the charges against him.

[Photo by Getty Images]