A rapper accused of acting as a hitman for his gang has been arrested in connection with three Philadelphia murders.
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A rising Philadelphia rapper has been arrested for being a contract killer for Philadelphia’s Black Flag Gang after eight months on the run for three murders.
Blumberg Eerd, born Tayvine Jones, doesn’t just rap about street violence; he lives it. As the gang’s designated killer, he executed three people in North and Northeast Philadelphia, prosecutors said.
Murders don’t happen randomly; They were considered hit songs related to gang rivalries and musical beefs. The first shooting occurred on August 23, 2020, when Blumberg Eerd shot and killed 16-year-old Heyward Garrison at 2215 West Diamond Street. Two years later, he struck again.
Wesley Rodwell was shot to death on May 25, 2022, at 1600 West Erie Avenue after posting a music video mocking Black Flag.
Bloomberg Elder doesn’t appreciate the disrespect. Three months later, Bloomberg Elder carried out his third execution. On Sept. 26, 2022, he ambushed another victim in the 1600 block of Creston Street in what prosecutors called a planned assassination.
The drill rapper has been on the run from law enforcement since April 2024. He changed his appearance, wore a mask, traveled only at night and kept changing locations.
But U.S. Marshals, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Gun Violence Task Force and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office eventually tracked him down.
Bloomberg Elder faces multiple first-degree murder charges as well as witness intimidation in the Erie Avenue case. His co-defendants, Dymer Purnell, Deshawn Kinsler and Michael Nelson, are being held awaiting trial.
Police confirmed that Bloomberg Elder was a member of Black Flag and was involved in an ongoing war with rival members of the Zoo Gang. Philadelphia’s drill rap scene has become increasingly violent as gang members use music videos to taunt enemies and escalate conflicts.
Popular artists such as YBC Dul, Phat Geez, LGP Qua and Gillie Da King’s son YNG Cheese have all been shot dead in the past few years.
