On Monday, June 13th, four people were charged with the murder of rising rapper Pop Smoke.
The 20-year-old Brooklyn rapper —real name Bashar Barakah Jackson— died at his Hollywood Hills home on February 19th of a gunshot wound to the torso.
Two adults and two teenagers have been charged with his murder, according to a news release issued by the Los Angeles Country district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors have confirmed that Corey Walker, 19, and Keandre Rodgers, 18, murdered the rapper during a robbery at a multimillion-dollar home on Hercules Drive. Both men face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
A 17-year-old and a 15-year-old defendant have also been charged with murder and robbery in juvenile court. Their identities were withheld because of their age.
Pop Smoke’s murder took place shortly before 5 a.m. on February 19th. Several men broke into the residence during an attempted home-invasion robbery.
Captain Jonathan Tippet, who oversees the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division, believes that social media posts led the suspects to the home of Pop Smoke. The teens, who are reportedly aged 15 and 17, stole items from the home that have not been divulged.
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“It’s our belief that (the home-invasion robbery) was based on some of the social media” Tippet told The Associated Press on Thursday. “It’s based on the fact that he was posting his information may have contributed to him knowing where to find him.”
“We believe that it was a robbery. Initially we didn’t really have the evidence but then we discovered some other evidence that showed this was likely a home invasion gone bad,” Tippet continued.
The musician was a trailblazer amongst the Brooklyn drill scene. The musician released his breakout single ‘Welcome to the Party’ back in 2019. Last year he released his debut mixtape, Meet the Woo, which was followed up by Meet the Woo Vol. 2 — released just days before his death. A posthumous release, Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon was released on July 3rd.
Check out Pop Smoke – ‘Welcome To The Party’:
