April 5 (UPI) -- The man accused of killing rapper Nipsey Hussle has pleaded not guilty to murder charges.
Eric Ronald Holder Jr. entered the plea in a Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday. He faces one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. If convicted, he'd face a life sentence. Holder, 29, is being held on $5 million bail.
Hussle, whose legal name is Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was shot dead Sunday outside The Marathon Clothing store he owned in Los Angeles. Holder and Asghedom got into a dispute outside the store when Holder left and returned with a handgun, Los Angeles Police Chief Michael Moore said.
"I'm not going to go into the conversations, but it appears to be a personal matter between the two of them," Moore said.
Officials said two people at the scene were injured in the confrontation.
Holder is being represented by attorney Chris Darden, a member of the prosecution team that famously tried O.J. Simpson in 1995.
A Grammy-nominated rapper, Asghedom had belonged to a gang when he was younger but ultimately left the streets for a career in music. He was shot a short time before he was scheduled to meet with Los Angeles police to talk about preventing gang violence.