According to Billboard, the man who was charged in connection with the fatal shooting of popular rapper and singer Takeoff claims he’s innocent. The 33-year-old, known as Patrick Xavier Clark, was apprehended and charged with the murder of Takeoff sometime last week. The accused later said through his attorneys that he was not guilty of the events that he was charged with in Houston, Texas, during the prior month.
At a short court hearing on Monday, the attorney for the accused, Letitia Quinones, declared that her client is “nervous” and “concerned” due to the fact that he is “being charged with something that he believes he is innocent of, so how would anyone do in that type of circumstance?” Takeoff, whose given name is Kirsnick Khari Ball, was killed at age 28 on November 1. During the early hours of that day, explosions were heard after a productive game of dice.
Takeoff was found suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and other areas of the upper body after an estimated 30 individuals left a private party that was being held at a nearby Houston bowling alley. The police said that the rapper was not a part of the altercation that resulted in the firing of guns and was “an innocent bystander.” The accused, Patrick Xavier Clark, is said to be held on a $2 million bond and is also scheduled to attend a bond reduction court appearance on December 14.
The authorities explained that the accused’s identification was acquired through numerous means of crime scene processing, such as shooting reconstruction, ballistic evidence, and the use of cellphones and surveillance videos that arose over the course of the investigation. The fact that the accused was arrested was made public by the chief of police, Troy Finner, in a press conference on Friday, where he stated that “yesterday evening, we arrested Patrick Xavier Clark.”
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The mayor of Houston, Sylvestor Turner, spoke highly of the victim in a brief speech where he said that “more than an entertainer, he was a son, brother, cousin, a friend, and a mentor to those in the music industry.” He also added that he was glad a suspect was apprehended and charged following the untimely death of the artiste and that he is certain that this will bring some comfort to his family, though it will not bring the victim back.
To close off, he stated that this was a big step in getting justice and that he hoped it would bring added consolation to those who loved Takeoff.
