OAKLAND — A local rapper has been wanted on a murder warrant for three weeks, but despite his local celebrity status and news of the charge spreading online, he has evaded capture thus far.
Michai Adams, 21, of Oakland, has been charged with murder in connection with the Sept. 7, 2024 killing of 50-year-old Lamar Payne, who was standing outside a corner store when at least three gunmen engaged in a shootout. Police have identified two other suspects, including one who police say is a close friend of Adams and a fellow gang member, court records show.
In the rap world, Adams is known as ChaiBenjii4. His musical YouTube channel has garnered more than 1.6 million views, despite Adams only putting out five songs on it, all released in 2021.
But Oakland police say they have surveillance footage identifying Adams as one of three gunmen involved in the shootout. One of them, Keyante Reed, 18, has been charged with murder but also released from jail after his attorney argued that he was a promising college student with a good argument for self defense.
Adams was charged with murder on April 15. He remains out of custody and is a wanted man, police say. He is likely well-aware of the charges, given news of the charges have been reported by local media and a popular YouTube crime channel, Swamp Storiez.
The third suspect, identified in court records as Tamarkus Killensworth, 21, of Berkeley, has been charged with possessing a firearm as a felon. Ironically, despite Killensworth facing far less serious charges than Reed, he is in jail without bail right now, after missing a Valentine’s Day court appearance and being arrested on a no-bail bench warrant on March 7, records show.
Authorities say that Killensworth and Adams are part of something called the Baby Benji Gang, and that Killensworth was investigated for a string of robberies with another gang member last year. Identifying Killensworth from surveillance footage of the shootout was easier because he has a distinct feature — a right hand that is missing fingers, according to police.
The shooting occurred after dark, outside a store near E Street and 105th Avenue in Oakland, police say. A little after 8 p.m., at least two gunman allegedly began shooting at someone who returned fire. A customer inside the store heard the commotion, pulled a gun, and rushed outside, but never fired his pistol, authorities said at the time.
Another man who was driving by the area suffered minor injuries when bullets struck his vehicle and caused broken glass to cut his face, police said.
Reed — who police claim was known to sell marijuana outside the store — was later identified by authorities as the man who returned fire at the two gunmen. Reed was arrested and charged with murder last year. At a preliminary hearing in April, he was held to answer on the murder charge.
But Reed faced the preliminary hearing as a free man. Last January, his attorney convinced Judge Elena Condes to release him from jail, citing Reed’s enrollment in Laney College and the fact that he has been shot twice in Oakland since moving there from Las Vegas at age 16. Reed turned 18 just six weeks before the fatal shootout.
The defense motion for bail includes support letters from staff and educators at Laney College, as well as Reed’s family. In one his mother called him a “protector and strong and loving person.
“My boy is a great kid. He’s smart, he’s a big help in my family. I love the way he interacts with his siblings. No matter what the situation is, you could count on him,” his mother wrote. “When it comes to cleaning the house or helping the kids with their homework.”
Condes reviewed surveillance footage of the shooting at a bail hearing last November, and denied Reed freedom, stating that it appeared from the video that Reed continued to fire at people who were “retreating” after initial shots were fired. But she expressed some sympathy for the teen.
“You sound like a wonderful young man, and I am sure that you are meant for much better things,” Condes said. Roughly six weeks later, Condes reconsidered the motion and allowed Reed out of jail.
The defense motion also includes a social media post by one of Payne’s family members, stating she got the “best news today” and adding that “the clown didn’t know you were loved and got his a– beat in jail.” This post referenced an incident inside Santa Rita Jail where Reed was attacked, the motion says.