Rapper YNW Melly Drove Around with Friends' Bodies After Staging Drive-By Shooting, Police Say

After YNW Melly, né Jamell Demons, was arrested earlier this month on first-degree murder charges for allegedly shooting two of his friends, new evidence has come to light further suggesting that the 19-year-old Florida rapper tried tricking cops into believing that the victims were murdered by someone other than him by staging a drive-by shooting.

According to documents obtained by Complex and TMZ, Melly’s booking report out of Miramar, Florida says that the rapper’s friend, Cortlen Henry (a.k.a. YNW Bortlen), drove to an emergency room in the early morning hours on Oct. 26 asking for help for the two friends — aspiring rappers Anthony Williams, 21, and Christopher Thomas Jr., 19 — in his car, claiming they had been shot in a drive-by.

Williams and Thomas Jr. were both pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital Miramar after suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

Henry, 26, told police he and the two victims had just wrapped a late-night studio session when a car pulled up on his driver’s side and opened fire as he was pulling off the freeway, TMZ reports. Cops confirmed there were eight bullet holes along the right side of the vehicle where Williams and Thomas Jr. sat, and Henry escaped injury.

Cops found a shell casing inside Henry’s vehicle, along with eight matching shell casings in a different location, where they think Melly and Henry shot the car to make it look like a drive-by, according to TMZ, who also reports that cops believe that the initial shot was fired from inside the car on the left rear passenger side. After reviewing surveillance footage, cops were able to determine that Melly had been sitting on the left rear passenger side of the car.

“Evidence from the autopsy revealed that both victims’ wound paths to their heads were from a left to right direction. This directly contradicts the statements made by Henry and do not support the statements of a drive-by shooting that occurred on the right side of the vehicle,” Complex quotes the court documents as saying.

Additionally, the outlet reports that cops say Melly and Henry drove around with the bodies of Williams and Thomas Jr. after they had been shot “for a period of time” before driving to the hospital. Henry later told police that Melly was, in fact, in the same car with them but eventually got into another vehicle.

RELATED: Rapper YNW Melly, Who Recently Collaborated with Kanye West, Charged with Murders of 2 Friends

Previously, the Miramar Police Department shared on their Twitter account that cops concluded that Melly “shot and killed Williams & Thomas Jr.” and that he and Henry “staged the crime scene to resemble a drive-by shooting.” Henry was also charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Williams was also known as YNW Sakchaser and Thomas Jr. was known as YNW Juvy. Both rappers were featured on a documentary about Melly — who recently collaborated with Kanye West on the track “Mixed Personalities” and is best known for his song “Murder on My Mind” — posted on Melly’s YouTube page.

It is not immediately clear as to what sparked the alleged altercation.

On Feb. 13, Melly, revealed on Instagram that he would be turning himself in to authorities.

“To all my fans and supporters… I am turning my self in today,” Melly wrote.

“I want you guys to know I love you and appreciate every single one of y’all, a couple months ago I lost two brothers by violence and now the system want[s] to find justice… unfortunately a lot of rumors and lies are being said but no worries god is with me and my brother @ynw.bortlen and we want y’all to remember it’s a ynw family.”

Melly concluded the post by saying “I love you” to Williams and Thomas Jr.

Just after the murder, Melly’s attorney Bradford Cohen said, according to the Sun Sentinel, the rapper is “sad, he’s upset, obviously.”

“Those are his best friends,” Cohen said.

When reached by PEOPLE, Cohen has no comment while a lawyer for Henry could not immediately be found.

Prior to his arrest, Melly released his debut album We All Shine in January and was expected to embark on a tour in support of the project this month.

On Jan. 3, Melly was arrested on two misdemeanor drug charges, the Miami Herald reported. According to jail records, Melly was charged with one count of possession of marijuana and one count of possession of drug equipment and booked in the Lee County Jail in Florida, the Miami Herald reported. Melly was released on Jan. 25, according to Lee County Sheriff’s Office records.

Last summer, Melly was arrested on June 30 on similar marijuana possession charges, the Miami Herald reported. He was released on bond on July 1, 2018, according to Lee County Sheriff’s Office records.

If convicted on the first-degree murder charges, Melly could face 15 years to life in prison.