ATLANTA — Wednesday marks one year since Migos rapper and Gwinnett native Takeoff was shot and killed.
Takeoff, whose real name was Kirshnik Khari Ball, attended a private party at a bowling alley in Houston on Nov. 1, 2022 when gunfire erupted around 2:30 a.m. outside the 810 Billiards & Bowling.
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Houston police said the gunfire followed a disagreement over a “lucrative” game of dice, but that Takeoff was not involved and was “an innocent bystander.” An autopsy revealed that Takeoff was shot in the head and back and the medical examiner declared his death a homicide.
Here is a look at the developments in the investigation over the past year and how Takeoff has been remembered.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE SUSPECT
Police arrested and charged Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, in December for the deadly shooting. Police also charged Cameron Joshua, 22, with unlawful possession of a weapon while he attended the same event.
Court records in Harris County, Texas show that a grand jury in May indicted Clark on a murder charge. Rolling Stone magazine reported that Clark last appeared in court on Oct. 26 and maintains his innocence.
“There was someone else who started the shooting, it was not Patrick Clark. He was in the same position that Takeoff was in, he was trying to get out of there alive as well. He didn’t have anything to do with the argument that occurred,” his attorney Letitia Quinones-Hollins told Rolling Stone.
[RELATED: Man accused in death of Migos rapper Takeoff released after posting $1M bail]
LAWSUITS FILED
There have been two lawsuits filed in connection to the shooting, one by Takeoff’s mother and another by an assistant for Quavo. The Migos rapper and Takeoff’s uncle also attended the party where Takeoff was shot.
According to the lawsuits obtained by Channel 2 Action News, Titania Davenport alleges that the bowling alley’s owners knew the party would bring large crowds, including celebrities like the Migos rappers. The lawsuit goes on to accuse the venue of not having enough security.
Davenport is asking for $1,000,000 in damages for wrongful death, pain and suffering, funeral expenses and mental anguish, according to the paperwork.
Joshua Washington, who works as an assistant for Quavo, was one of the other two injured in the shooting. Washington’s attorneys say one of the bullets hit their client on his right side and almost hit his colon. Washington also accused the venue of lack of security.
“The bullets started flying and no one came to help. There were no security guards trying to stop the shooting, no one to help those of us who were hurt, no one at all. They just left us there to die,” Washington stated.
Washington is asking for damages between $250,000 and $1 million.
TRIBUTES OVER THE YEAR
Since his death, the hip-hop and rap community have paid tribute to Takeoff at memorial services, award shows and other events.
Quavo performed his song “Without You,” which he wrote in memory of Takeoff, during the In Memoriam at this year’s Grammys. Quavo reunited with fellow Migos rapper Offset in July to perform at the BET Awards.
The rappers, who split as a group in 2021, performed their breakout hit “Bad & Boujee” as images of Takeoff and lasers flashed behind them.
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- Arrest made in death of Migos rapper Takeoff
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