Kansas City, Mo. ? Police on Wednesday were investigating whether the fatal shooting of an underground rap star resulted from his decision not to perform at a party where he had been billed as a headline attraction.

But they got little cooperation, they said, from the associates of Andre Hicks, the California rapper known as Mac Dre.

Only two of the 12 to 15 members of Hicks’ entourage have talked with police, Homicide Sgt. Barb Eckert said Tuesday.

“They hid in their hotel rooms and would not answer the door,” Eckert said. “Then they flew back to California.”

Hicks, 34, was killed early Monday when a vehicle pulled beside the van he was in on U.S. Highway 71 and began shooting.

Eckert said Hicks was in town from Sacramento, Calif., for a series of weekend concerts and appearances.

She said a local promoter rented out a private club, the Atlantic Star, sold tickets for $15 to $20, and distributed fliers saying Hicks would perform there Sunday night. But the rapper was not paid to perform and only stayed at the party for 30 minutes, she said.

“Several people wanted their money back,” Eckert said. “We heard there may have been a confrontation there.”

Police believe Hicks left the party around 10:30 p.m. Sunday; the shooting was about five hours later.