Police in New York say the shooting death of social media influencer Ariela Mejia-Polanco last week was a targeted killing.
According to USA Today, investigators have confirmed that the 33-year-old Mejia-Polanco — known as Ariiela La Langosta on her popular Instagram account — died from gunshot wounds and she was “likely targeted for violence and her death was not a random act.”
Mejia-Polanco was found dead behind the wheel of her Mercedes SUV on August 17 on the Cross County Parkway in Mount Vernon, a New York City suburb in Westchester County.
Westchester County Police Chief James Luciano told WCBS that his department was working the case alongside the New York Police Department and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force.
“We review everything of the victim’s history, to see how it ties in, if it’s related in any way,” Luciano said.
Mejia-Polanco, a close friend of rapper Takashi 6ix9ine, frequently displayed opulence and wealth on her social media account, and was well known in New York club circles.
“The queen of New York,” Tekashi 6ix9ine said on his social media account “NY won’t ever be the same.”
Mejia-Polanco appeared as a dancer in the music video for Tekashi’s “Wapae” in 2023. The rapper said Mejia-Palanco “supported me in everything” and was like a “sister.”
Other celebrities and the clubs she frequented posted tributes as well.
Mejia-Polanco is survived by her 13 and 14-year-old children, WABC said.
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[Featured image: Ariela Mejia-Polanco/Instagram]
