Rygin King’s Wife, Four Other Men Were Also Arrested In New York Over Illegal Gun
Dancehall star Rygin King, real name Matthew Smith, and his wife, Ileene Parker-Smith, were among those arrested in New York on multiple weapons possession charges early Monday morning.
King was in the front passenger seat of a vehicle when stopped by the police, and he was found with a loaded Palmetto State Armory 9 mm firearm, the Deputy Commissioner Public Information Office of the NYPD 113th Precinct told DancehallMag.
They confirmed that the Tuff singer, 29, was arrested by the precinct’s ‘Midnight Public Safety Team’ at 4:30 a.m. on July 8 at 179th Street and 114th Road in Queens.
He was slapped with five charges, including criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree (loaded firearm), criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree (ammo clips), possession of an ammunition feeding device, and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.
Five other persons were also hit with similar charges. They are Ileene Parker-Smith, 41, Kemor Palmer, 30, Derol Tate, 30, Rashaun Linton, 27, and the driver, Jovaughn Brown, 23.
“The driver of the vehicle was also hit with additional charges of a vehicle and licence violation, false impersonation and an illegal signal,” the officer in the DCPI unit said.
The 113th Precinct announced the recovery of the weapon in a Twitter post on Tuesday. “Yesterday, 113 pct Midnight Public Safety Team made an arrest and recovered this loaded firearm. Excellent work! #onelessgun,” they wrote.
King’s first court appearance is scheduled for Friday, July 12, at 9 a.m. in the Queens Supreme Criminal Court.
He is represented by court-appointed attorney Marc B. Laykind.
In New York, the top charge of criminal possession of a loaded firearm carries a minimum sentence of three and a half years in prison for first-time offenders, with a maximum of 15 years.
In 2020, Rygin King faced a life-altering incident in the Struie district of Westmoreland, Jamaica. While traveling with his entourage, two men opened fire on the group. His manager’s wife, Sashalee Blackwood, was tragically killed, and King was chased into a ditch and shot three times. He spent several weeks in medical facilities, undergoing critical surgeries. Now bound to a wheelchair, he left Jamaica in 2021 for orthopedic consultations and therapy in the US.
King’s experiences inspired his debut album Therapy (2022), featuring tracks like “Therapy,” “Circumstances,” and “Broken.” His sophomore album Recovery (2024) continued this theme with songs such as “Recovery,” “Firm,” and “Hurting.”