More than four weeks after the shooting death of Migos rapper Takeoff, police in Houston, Texas, have charged a suspect with murder.
The 28-year-old recording artist, whose real name was Kirsnick Khari Ball, was killed Nov. 1 outside a Houston bowling alley, according to police. Bell was an innocent bystander, police said.
On Friday, police announced that Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, had been arrested and charged in the case. Clark was arrested in Houston late Thursday.
“I spoke to Takeoff’s mother early this morning, and my prayers — and I ask that all of our prayers — continue to go out to her and his entire family, his close friends, the city of Atlanta, and all of Takeoff’s fans around the world,” Houston police Chief Troy Finner said at an afternoon press conference. “We lost a good man.”
Finner and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the Texas city has a close relationship with Atlanta. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was told about the murder arrest late Thursday.
“The gun violence everywhere, not just in the city of Houston, has to stop,” Turner said. “People are dying for little or no reason. People are reaching for a deadly firearm to settle sometimes a minor disagreement. Pulling a firearm can have deadly consequences that you cannot undo.”
A second suspect in the case, 22-year-old Cameron Joshua, was previously arrested and charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon, police said. The investigation into the case is still underway, police said.
Atlanta-based Migos first broke through in 2013 with the massive hit “Versace” and followed with four top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. The group released four albums, including “Yung Rich Nation,” “Culture,” “Culture II” and “Culture III.”
The Grammy-nominated trio, which hailed from Lawrenceville, was signed to the Atlanta-based label Quality Control Music. The group was known for their triplet flow that made their infectious style of trap music more palatable for mainstream audiences. Takeoff, the youngest Migo, was widely considered as the primary architect of that flow and for being the group’s best rapper. In 2018, Takeoff dropped his only solo album, “The Last Rocket.” Earlier this year, Quavo and Takeoff announced plans to form a duo and dropped a joint album, “Only Built for Infinity Links,” in October.
Atlanta-based award-winning producer Christopher Gholson, professionally known as Drumma Boy, worked with the Migos on the 2015 hit “Look at My Dab.” He said Takeoff was known for his very precise instruction while recording songs.
“We need beats like this or we need beats like that,” Drumma said Takeoff would tell him. “His advice really set the tone for what I needed to get from them musically. He would say, ‘Don’t overdo it Make it simple. We can do the rest.”
Memorial services for Takeoff were held at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena last month. Artists like Drake, City Girls, Chloe Bailey and Justin Bieber were among the performers and attendees. Atlanta residents were also able to attend. Fans wrapped around the venue to pay their respects.
Shonte Hightower, of Decatur, attended the funeral and said she’s still trying to process Takeoff’s death. She didn’t think the news was real. While waiting in line, she was listening to songs from the group.
“It was a lot,” Hightower said. “I had just came back from out of town. I was actually on my way to work. It took a minute. It really didn’t hit me until I got off work. He was just different — very quiet, stayed out of the way. It was just a lot.
Takeoff made a posthumous appearance on Metro Boomin’s latest album “Heroes & Villains,” which dropped on Friday.
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