Hours after Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot outside his own store in Los Angeles, a large crowd gathered around the site to pay respects to not only a decorated and well-respected musician, but a man who was also widely regarded as a pillar of the community.

People in the hundreds came out to his Marathon Clothing store on W. Slauson Ave as the investigation behind the shooting continued, as fans and friends stood behind the yellow police tape to hear official updates on his condition while police and news helicopters circled overhead.

Nipsey, whose real name is Ermias Asghedom, owned several businesses on the block itself including a burger restaurant, a barbershop, and a fish market, where he was known to give jobs to residents who were struggling to get by. As one of his many ways of giving back to his community, he once gave a pair of shoes to every student at 59th Street Elementary School, where he also donated money to renovate the school’s playground and basketball courts.

“He did so much for our neighbourhood,” said one Hyde Park resident, “That’s why I’m here today. This has to stop.”Â