Rapper Takeoff, one-third of the Grammy-nominated group Migos, was shot and killed in Houston early Tuesday. He was 28. Breaking news: Houston police have identified Takeoff as the fatal victim of a downtown shooting outside 810 Billiards and Bowling.
The rapper, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, was in Houston with Quavo — Takeoff’s uncle and another Migos member — celebrating the birthday of Jas Prince, a music promoter. Instagram clips posted by Quavo hours before the shooting show him driving around Houston.
Details: Authorities say the takeoff was part of a private party of about 40 people at 810 Billiards and Bowling. Sgt. Michael Arrington said an argument took place outside the business that led to the shooting.
Authorities said at least two guns were involved in the shooting. Houston Police Chief Troy Finer and Mayor Sylvester Turner asked witnesses to come forward with information about anyone involved in Takeoff’s death. Quavo was not injured, Chron.com reports. An HPD spokesman told Axios that a call about a shooting at 1199 San Jacinto St. came at 2:40 am The caller reported hearing gunshots and seeing people running. HPD tweeted updates about a shooting near that address that said two other people were shot and treated for non-life threatening injuries. 810 Billiards and Bowling told Axios that the investigation has the business’s “full cooperation.”
The Big Picture: Takeoff was the youngest member of the rap group formed in 2008 in their native Georgia. The group is responsible for hits such as “Stir Fry”, “Bad and Boujee” and “Walk It Talk It”.
In recent months, Quavo and Takeoff began making music without Offset, the last member of Migos, as “Unc and Phew.” Quavo and Takeoff released a music video for the song “Messy” on Monday night, hours before the shooting.
What they’re saying: Celebrities from Houston rapper Bun B to journalist Jemele Hill reacted to the news.
Bun B posted an Instagram story saying the death is “so sad.” Hill weighed in on Twitter, saying that shooting deaths happen “so often that you barely have time to recover before someone else [is] was killed.”
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted in a statement Tuesday night that Takeoff’s shooting was one of several in the last day and a half that left “more families across our country … scarred of the devastating effects of gun violence in America,” as he urged Congress to pass gun safety legislation.
“It’s time to turn our pain into purpose,” Jean-Pierre said.
What’s next: Finner said he plans to meet with Houston’s hip-hop community next week to discuss gun violence. Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
