Rapper MBNel speaks after Stockton mass shooting: ‘May their souls live on forever’
Rapper MBNel has broken his silence nearly three weeks after a mass shooting in Stockton, offering condolences but sidestepping questions about his own injuries in the deadly attack.
In the Instagram post, shared 20 days after the shooting that left four dead — including three children — and 13 others injured, MBNel was seen in photographs taken at the party and posted to social media, but his statement did not clarify whether he was among the wounded.
MBNel, whose real name is Johnel Dongon, has more than 411,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. He had not posted publicly since the shooting until Friday, though his father told a news outlet that he had been wounded while dropping off a present at the party hosted by a friend.
“My deepest condolences to the families who had to bury their children, and to the innocent lives lost,” MBNel wrote in an Instagram post. “What happened in Stockton has left families carrying an unimaginable loss. There are no words that make sense of this, and I do not want to add noise where there should be care. This is about the families, and no one else.
He added, “Out of respect, I am choosing to move quietly and intentionally. I will not be speaking on details or speculation. Rest in peace to the lives lost — may their souls live on forever.”
The shooting occurred Nov. 29 at a birthday celebration for a 2-year-old at a venue space in an unincorporated pocket of north Stockton. Four people died, including three children, and 13 others were injured. Authorities said 100 to 150 people were at the party.
No arrests have been announced in connection with the incident, and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office is offering more than $130,000 in combined rewards for information leading to an arrest.
In an interview with the New York Post, MBNel’s father said his son and daughter-in-law were both shot and that the rapper had returned to Stockton to attend the party after previously relocating due to safety concerns.
“He just came to drop off a present,” his father, Junior Dongon, told the Post, adding that MBNel called him afterward and said, “Don’t say anything to anybody” about the incident.
Anyone with information about suspects is urged to call the Sheriff’s Office at 209-468-5087.
