Cold Case: Family pleads for answers in killing of North Seattle rapper ‘Lavish Rich’
Sep 3, 2026, 5:00 AM
Nearly three years after 31-year-old father and local rapper Cornel Callandret Jr. was gunned down in North Seattle, his family and fans are still waiting for answers.
The killing at 104th and Aurora
In the early morning hours of August 16, 2023, Callandret was at 104th and Aurora, a spot he frequented, when gunfire erupted.
According to his family, Callandret, known in the music community as “Lavish Rich,” was waiting for food at a nearby food truck when a car drove past, circled the block, then returned. The attackers got out, crept up from behind the truck, and opened fire.
Jim Fuda, Executive Director of Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound, described what happened next:
“He’s at 104th and Aurora. Shots ring out. He runs across the street to a smoke shop where he knew everybody,” Fuda said. “They were friends, and he tells them he’s been shot. And he dies a short while later with a gunshot wound to his chest.”
Grief without retaliation
Nearly three years later, Callandret’s family remains heartbroken and deeply emotional about the case. They are still mourning his death and struggling with the lack of answers. Fuda said their focus is not vengeance:
“They don’t want retaliation,” he said. “They just want justice, accountability, and truth, and they want to know what happened to their loved one.”
Fuda emphasized that the family deserves closure.
“Like I said, it’s three years old, and they, like everybody that’s in these situations, they deserve to know what happened to their loved one,” Fuda said.
Callandret was a father and a well-known figure in the local rap scene. Under his stage name Lavish Rich, he filmed several music videos in the same North Seattle area where he was killed and built a strong local following.
Investigators have not publicly identified any suspects, and details about the circumstances leading up to the shooting remain limited. Still, Fuda stressed that someone knows who is responsible.
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Crime Stoppers reward, call for tips
Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and charges in Callandret’s killing.
“Somebody knows who did this, and you can remain anonymous by submitting that information through us, and we will get that to the detectives working the case,” Fuda said. “Even if you don’t think it’s important.”
Fuda urged anyone who was near 104th and Aurora on August 16, 2023, to come forward, whether they saw the shooting, noticed suspicious vehicles, or recognized possible suspects. Fuda added that crucial information can also come from people far from the crime scene.
“If somebody overheard something, if they heard maybe whoever did this bragging that they might have done this, give us that information,” Fuda said. “Let the detectives decide if it’s valuable information or not. So even if you don’t think it’s important, pass it on to us, and we will get it to the detectives.”
As Callandret’s family and the fans of Lavish Rich continue to grieve, Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is hoping renewed attention, and the reward, will finally bring in the tip that breaks this case open.
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