The shooting death of rapper Nipsey Hussle has given rise to conspiracy theories among fans who think that he was targeted for making a documentary on the controversial Dr. Sebi, a self-proclaimed healer who said that he found a cure for AIDS.

The rapper, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, was shot on Sunday outside a clothing store he owned in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hyde Park. As NBC Los Angeles reported, Hussle and two other people were injured in the shooting, which took place at approximately 3:20 p.m. local time.

The rapper was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not said if there is a suspect and a motive for the shooting was not known.

Nipsey Hussle’s killing has prompted many to question whether his shining a spotlight on Dr. Sebi could have led to his death. Dr. Sebi, whose real name was Alfredo Darrington Bowman, was a controversial medical figure who believed that all diseases could be cured with herbs and a specific vegan diet.

Dr. Sebi was the subject of several legal actions and he was hit with a criminal charge of practicing medicine without a license in 1987. The state of New York later sued Dr. Sebi for making “unsubstantiated therapeutic claims” including advertising in New York’s Village Voice that “AIDS HAS BEEN CURED.”

“For an initial fee of $500 and $80 for each additional visit, patients were told they could be cured of AIDS and other diseases. The ‘cures’ consisted of various herbal products, for each of which USHA made therapeutic claims,” the state said in its lawsuit against the medical practitioner.

Dr. Sebi died of pneumonia in a Honduran prison in 2016.

After the shooting death of Nipsey Hussle, many took to social media to question whether he may have been targeted for death for bringing to light the work of Dr. Sebi. Some in conspiracy theory circles believe that Dr. Sebi actually did find a cure for AIDS but was targeted by pharmaceutical companies that wanted to quash his findings and keep making money off the expensive drugs needed to treat HIV.

Nipsey Hussle is working on a documentary that will narrate Dr. Sebi’s Trial in 1985.



Dr. Sebi claimed in a New York newspaper ad that he could cure AIDS & was allegedly executed by way of U.S. Medical Corporations because his AIDS remedy would take away from their own profits. pic.twitter.com/jxoCqzknEw — DJ First Class™ (@1DJFirstClass) April 28, 2018

In my opinion this has a direct correlation with the Dr. Sebi movie coming out... he was about to expose the government and their trillion dollar industry...Prayers for Nipsey???????????? — Davontae Harris (@the24elite) March 31, 2019

R.I.P Nipsey.



Is it a mere coincidence that his assassination happened at the time he was about releasing a documentary on the assassination of Dr. Sebi for his proposed AIDs cure? pic.twitter.com/tDJWFgPEw8 — 《v/ctor》 (@nnajivictor0) April 1, 2019

The name “Dr. Sebi” even became one of the most popular trending topics on Twitter on Sunday night. While many saw a potential connection with Nipsey Hussle’s killing, others pointed out that a targeted shooting would seem to have the opposite effect, as millions more people have now learned about Dr. Sebi due to the attention the shooting brought to the upcoming documentary.