Bay Area rapper Stephen Gaines, who went by the stage name Baba Zumbi as part of the group Zion I, died in a Berkeley hospital after a physical altercation.
Gaines, 49, was a prolific hip-hop musician and MC. It was not immediately known what caused his death Friday morning at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center on Ashby Avenue. Officials are investigating.
His family released a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday reading, "We are in a deep state of grief and processing this loss. We are awaiting further details from the hospital at this time so we can understand exactly what happened and determine our next steps."
Friends said Gaines had asthma and was recovering from COVID-19.
The Alameda County Coroner’s Office said Gaines’ death was under investigation by Berkeley police.
Berkeley police Lt. Melanie Turner said police responded to calls at 5:16 a.m. Friday from Alta Bates hospital patients and staff about a patient involved in a physical altercation with nurses and hospital security officers. Security officers reportedly had the patient pinned down, said Turner, who declined to identify the patient by name.
Turner said the circumstances that preceded the altercation were under investigation.
Upon arrival, "officers started handcuffing the involved person and determined that he needed immediate medical assistance," Turner said. Police began lifesaving measures until Alta Bates staff were able to take over, she said, but "unfortunately and sadly he was pronounced deceased on the scene."
Police Department homicide detectives are investigating, Turner said. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office was notified and, during the preliminary investigation, determined no force was used by Berkeley police officers, Turner said.
Ashley Boarman, a spokesperson for Sutter Health, which runs Alta Bates, said that "due to our compliance with state and federal privacy laws, we are unable to comment."
Four friends from the hip-hop scene who knew Gaines for decades praised his character and expressed shock over reports of a physical altercation.
Clemente Peña, whose stage name is Dj Twelvz, was Gaines’ friend for 23 years and became Zion I’s DJ in 2015 when Amp Live left the group. Gaines was "the most consistent friend I’ve ever had" and "didn’t compromise his integrity ever."
In its statement, Gaines’ family said, "Zumbi was a man of many talents and was blessed to be able to share his gifts and love of music, most importantly hip-hop, with the world. ... And even with his overabundance of talent, his true passion and purpose was the love and energy he put into his three sons."
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