Atlanta rapper Young Scooter, whose real name was Kenneth Edward Bailey, has died at the age of 39 after a freak accident while fleeing from police.
His death occurred on his birthday, Friday, March 28, 2025.
According to New York Post, Bailey sustained a leg injury while jumping over a fence and later died at Grady Marcus Trauma Center in Atlanta. The Atlanta Medical Examiner’s Office has stated that his cause of death is still under investigation.
Police responded to a home in southeast Atlanta after receiving reports of gunshots and a woman being dragged back inside as she attempted to escape.
“When officers arrived at the scene, a man opened the door and quickly shut it. Shortly after, two men fled from the back of the house,” Atlanta Police Department Lt. Andrew Smith said during a press conference on Friday night.
Smith explained that one of the men returned to the house while the other, later identified as Bailey, attempted to escape by jumping two fences.
“When officers located him on the other side of the fence, he appeared to have suffered an injury to his leg,” Smith added.
There were initial reports that Young Scooter was shot by police, but Smith dismissed the claims.
“Just to be very clear, the injury that was sustained was not via the officers on scene. It was when the male was fleeing,” Smith said.
Bailey was rushed to the hospital by emergency medical services but did not survive.
Bailey, originally from South Carolina, moved to Atlanta when he was nine years old. He gained recognition in 2012 with his regional hit “Colombia.” That same year, he signed with rapper Future’s Freebandz record label.
In 2013, he worked with Gucci Mane on the mixtape Free Bricks 2. He later collaborated with major artists like Young Thug, Juicy J, Quavo, and Offset. His 2016 track “Guwop” featured Future and members of Migos, peaking at No. 45 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In 2018, he appeared on “Jet Lag” with Future and Juice WRLD, which reached No. 72 on the Billboard Top 100 Songs chart.
