Friends and family of slain Queens rapper Lionel ‘Chinx’ Pickens have arranged a wake and funeral for him later this month.
The date of the wake and funeral, which are scheduled for May 26 at the Greater Allen A.M.E Cathedral of New York in Jamaica, were announced online Thursday via social media. Supporters have also launched a page on the website GoFundMe hoping to raise funds to support his family.
“As you can imagine, in today’s challenging economic climate, losing your primary source of income can be devastating,” the page reads. “When that loss is due to the unexpected death, it leaves a void that can never truly be filled.”
The rising rap star was shot to death in a drive-by shooting on Queens Boulevard at 84th Drive in Briarwood around 4 a.m. on Sunday, according to police. The rapper was driving west when another vehicle pulled up beside it and a person or person inside began spraying Pickens’ car with bullets.
Pickens, with multiple gunshot wounds to the torso, was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital.
Police have said the killing was targeted, and that he was likely followed from Brooklyn, where he had performed a concert, to Queens. Detectives have been analyzing data from electronic license-plate readers and video surveillance as they search for the killers.
