Benzino Tells Why He Was Shot!

Benzino says that "jealousy, envy and money" were why he was shot near his mother's funeral on Saturday, allegedly by his nephew Gai Scott.

The Love and Hip-Hop star tells the Boston Globe from his hospital bed, “You hear about these things, but you never think it could happen to you." He adds that he he skipped the actual funeral out of fear that bad blood between various factions of his family might boil over. “I didn’t want to be around them. I felt like, I didn’t want any problems. I can love my mother and there doesn’t have to be any problems with family.”

Christopher Coughlin, who is Gai Scott’s attorney, says his client plans to plead not guilty to attempted murder charges and says that his version of events differ sharply from Benzino's. He adds that Maureen Scott, Gai Scott’s mother and Benzino's sister, was having a hard time after seeing her mother buried and her son arrested in the same day. “It’s an incredibly difficult time for her."

Meanwhile, many on Twitter are letting Benzino have it for trying to publicize the tragedy, especially his decision to release a selfie picturing Stevie J from his hospital bed. Here are some of the tweets:

• @DillyDenilly: Benzino is really milking this thing, huh?
• @GlobalEd718: Benzino will do anything to stay relevant short of attaining real talent, huh?
• ‏@THE_REAL_DESPO: Now Benzino got shot -- watch 'em come out with an album and get his own spin-off solo show on VH1... Just watch!... Oh yeah and his own liquor
• @itsthereal: People are saying that the Benzino shooting was a publicity stunt but I don't belieALMIGHTY RSO IN STORES NOW, LOVE & HIP-HOP RETURNING SOON