Murder of XXXTentacion

Murder to XXXTentacion
Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach (Florida)
Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach (the US)
Location of XXXTentacion's murder in Florida
Location Deerfield Beach, Florida, U.S.
Date June 18, 2018 (2018-06-18)
3:57 p.m. (EDT)
Attack type
 Homicide, possible armed robbery
Weapon .22 LR semi-automatic pistol, Short-barreled rifle
Victim Jahseh Onfroy
Suspected perpetrators
  • Dedrick Williams
  • Trayvon Newsome
  • Robert Allen
  • Michael Boatwright

On June 18, 2018, American rapper XXXTentacion, real name Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, was shot and killed in an apparent robbery, just outside RIVA Motorsports, an upscale seller of motorcycles and boats in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He was 20 years old. He was shot once in the neck[1] and was in critical condition before being pronounced dead at exactly 5:30 p.m. after rumors of being rushed to Broward Health North.

Events

On June 18, Onfroy went to a bank to withdraw money before heading to RIVA Motorsports, an upscale seller of motorcycles and boats in Deerfield Beach, Florida.[2] After withdrawing money from a bank, he was followed by a dark-colored Dodge Journey SUV allegedly containing Dedrick Williams, Robert Allen, Michael Boatwright, and Trayvon Newsome.[3][4]

At 3:30 p.m. EDT, Onfroy arrived at RIVA Motorsports and entered with his uncle.[5] Robert Allen followed Onfroy inside the store to confirm that it was Onfroy inside the BMW.[6] Two minutes later, Newsome and Boatwright allegedly left the SUV and followed Onfroy inside before Williams bought the masks used during the robbery at a local convenience store.[5]

A half an hour later, Onfroy left the dealership, entered his black BMW i8[7] and began to drive away from the dealership. The SUV drove in front of Onfroy's car, blocking him in while Newsome and Boatwright exited the vehicle and demanded property from Onfroy. A brief struggle ensued, which resulted in Onfroy being allegedly shot once in the neck by Boatwright.[8][9] Witnesses told police Newsome and Boatwright took a Louis Vuitton bag from Onfroy's vehicle and then fled.[1][10]

The shooting occurred in east of the city of Parkland where Onfroy was living at the time.[11][12] The Broward County Fire Department rushed him to the nearby Broward Health North.[13] Onfroy was initially reported to be in critical condition following the shooting,[14] but the Broward County Sheriff's Office later confirmed his death.[15]

Investigation

Shortly following the announcement of Onfroy's death, Broward County Sheriff's Office offered a $3,000 bounty for any information leading to the arrest of any suspects. Originally, many fans of Onfroy, numerous internet users & local residents suspected local Florida rappers Soldier Kidd and Soldier Jojo to be the killers of Onfroy due to several suspicious Instagram posts made by the pair with specific details that corroborated with witness reports, but these accusations were then proven false when Dedrick Williams and Michael Boatwright (the alleged shooter) were arrested.[16]

On June 20, 2018, the Broward County Sheriff's Office arrested 22-year-old Dedrick Devonshay Williams in connection with Onfroy's murder.[17] Williams was driving in his silver 2004 Honda before a traffic stop occurred.[18] Williams was detained in the car chase that followed.[19] Williams was identified by clothing he wore on June 18, which included orange sandals and a white tank top. The police matched images from security footage to recent pictures from Williams’ Instagram feed, which featured “the same or similar bright orange sandals”. He was also identified by employees who saw him enter RIVA Motorsports to buy a neoprene mask.[20] After Williams' arrest, two more active warrants were issued.[18][21]

On June 27, 22-year-old Robert Allen was named as a person of interest in the case, and was later arrested on July 26.[22]

On July 5, 22-year-old Michael Boatwright was also arrested by the Broward County Sherriff's Office. Originally, he was arrested on drug-related charges, but on July 10, a warrant was put out for him related to the death of Onfroy. Police believe that Boatwright was the one who fatally shot Onfroy.[23] The three men were later indicted by a grand jury, alongside a fourth, for Onfroy's death.

On August 7, 20-year-old Trayvon Newsome was later arrested for his involvement in the murder. Newsome and Boatwright are the alleged shooters.[24]

Williams was charged with first degree murder, probation violation, and was denied bail.[25][26][27] On June 25, he pled not guilty.[28]

Aftermath

Following the announcement of Onfroy's murder, a makeshift memorial was quickly created by fans and local residents, consisting of lyrics from the artist and words of remembrance written in chalk stretching up to a hundred yards. The owner of RIVA Motorsports, where Onfroy was killed, held a vigil on June 19, 2018.[29] Hundreds gathered during the vigil and Broward County Sheriffs were forced to close the street.[2] Shortly after, a walk commenced between Onfroy's fans.[2] Onfroy's house in Parkland, Florida, which was being built at the time, was also memorialized by fans.[30] Onfroy's team issued a statement saying a proper memorial service would be arranged soon.[31]

Internet personality Adam Grandmaison (better known as Adam22), the creator of the podcast No Jumper, for which Onfroy had his first professional interview, held a memorial a day after Onfroy's death in front of his BMX retail store OnSomeShit on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles to a crowd of 300 people.[32][33] The crowd eventually grew to over 1,000 and police in riot gear eventually appeared with police en route to disperse the crowd.[34] According to reports, rubber bullets were shot and tear gas was used to disperse the crowd.[35]

Funeral

Onfroy's mausoleum

An open casket service for Onfroy took place at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida on June 27th where fans were allowed to pay their respects.[36][37] His private funeral took place a day later, where rappers Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, Denzel Curry and singer Erykah Badu were among the attendees.[38] He was entombed in a grey mausoleum which has his names in honor of his death at the Gardens of Boca Raton Memorial Park, in Boca Raton, Florida.[39][40]

Commercial impact

On June 19, the day after Onfroy’s death, Billboard reported that Taylor Swift's Spotify single-day streaming record for "Look What You Made Me Do" was broken by Onfroy's track "Sad!", with over 10.4 million streams compared to Swift's 10.1 million streams.[41][42] This was followed by a 16-fold sales increase across all streaming and download platforms, including a 7000-fold sales increase in CDs on Amazon.com.[43][44] Onfroy's album ? was expected to return to the top five the week of his death following his murder, ultimately reaching number three with 90,000 album-equivalent units sold, up from 19,000 the last week.[45]

In the week following his murder, Onfroy's highest-charting single, "Sad!" , went from 52nd to 1st on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first artist to top the Hot 100 posthumously in a lead role since The Notorious B.I.G., with "Mo Money Mo Problems", in 1997.[46] On June 28, his management team posthumously released the music video for "Sad!", which has received over 90 million views.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "XXXTentacion Murder Witness Says Rapper Was Shot In Neck". Vibe. 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
  2. 1 2 3 "Vigil Held For Slain Local Rap Artist XXXTentcion". June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  3. ↑ XXL (June 19, 2018), XXXTentacion Dead at 20 After Being Shot, retrieved June 20, 2018
  4. ↑ "New details in XXXTentacion's murder emerge - NME". NME. 2018-06-23. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
  5. 1 2 "XXXTentacion's Killers Tracked Him as He Entered Motorcycle Dealership". Retrieved 2018-06-24.
  6. ↑ "XXXTentacion's Killers Were Tracking Him: Surveillance Footage Released". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  7. ↑ "Search Is On For Gunmen Who Shot, Killed Rapper XXXTentacion". June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Police reveal how XXXTentacion's killers tracked rapper in final moments before fatal shooting". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
  9. ↑ "XXXTentacion Shot in Apparent Robbery". CNN. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  10. ↑ "XXXTentacion Reportedly Died Instantly After Being Shot In The Neck". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
  11. ↑ "XXXTentacion Shot in Miami: TMZ". Spin. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  12. ↑ Lockett, Dee. "Report: XXXTentacion Dead Following Shooting". Vulture. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Rapper XXXTentacion Shot Dead in Broward County".
  14. ↑ "XXXTentacion Reportedly Shot in Miami". Vice. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  15. ↑ Linsalata, Nicole; Associated Press (June 18, 2018). "Rapper XXXTentacion shot dead in Deerfield Beach". Entertainment. WSVN. Sunbeam Television. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Broward Sheriff Offers $3000 Reward In XXXTentacion Murder Case". Vibe. June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  17. ↑ "XXXTentacion: Suspect arrested in rapper murder case". BBC News. BBC. June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  18. 1 2 "Man appears in court charged with murdering rapper XXXTentacion". ITV News. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  19. ↑ "XXXTentacion Murder Suspect Arrested | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  20. ↑ "New Court Documents Reveal XXXTentacion's Killers Followed Him Into Motorcycle Dealership". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
  21. ↑ "Suspect, 22, Arrested in Florida in Killing of XXXTentacion". Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Police Name Person of Interest in XXXTentacion Murder: Report | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  23. ↑ "Florida police make second arrest in rapper XXXTentacion's murder". NBC News. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  24. ↑ "Grand Jury Indicts 4 Men in XXXTentacion Murder". TMZ. July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Suspect arrested over XXXTentacion death". BBC News. June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Suspect Arrested for XXXTentacion's Murder – XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Tattoo artist suspect denied bail in the shooting death of rapper XXXTentacion". The New Zealand Herald. June 22, 2018.
  28. ↑ Mojica, Nick (June 27, 2018). "Suspect Pleads Guilty in Murder of XXXTentacion". XXL Mag.
  29. ↑ Forney, Amanda Batchelor, Sanela Sabovic, Terrell. "Vigil held Tuesday for rapper gunned down in Deerfield Beach". www.local10.com. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  30. ↑ "WTOP | The Latest: Fans gather at the site of XXXTentacion's slaying". wtop.com. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  31. ↑ "XXXTentacion's Team Says A Memorial Service Date Is Forthcoming". Vibe. June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  32. ↑ "KTLA on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  33. ↑ "XXXtentacion Memorial turns into a Riot". YouTube, uploaded by No Jumper. June 20, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  34. ↑ Nyren, Erin (June 20, 2018). "Hundreds Gather in Los Angeles to Remember XXXTentacion". Variety. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Throng of Hundreds Shuts Down Melrose Avenue Amid Memorial for Slain Rapper XXXTentacion". KTLA. June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  36. ↑ Halle, Kiefer. "XXXTentacion Fans Invited to Open Casket Memorial at Florida Panthers Stadium". Vulture.com. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  37. ↑ "XXXTentacion fans queue to pay respects at Florida service". BBC News. June 28, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  38. ↑ Mike Vulpo (June 28, 2018). "XXXTentacion Laid to Rest in Private Funeral After Shooting". E! News. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  39. ↑ Gary Trock, Melissa Parrelli (July 2, 2018). "XXXTentacion Private Funeral Featured Police Protection". The Blast. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  40. ↑ Brett Clarkson (July 1, 2018). "XXXTentacion's mausoleum gravesite revealed in Instagram photo by his mother". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  41. ↑ "XXXTentacion Breaks Taylor Swift's Single-Day Streaming Record on Spotify". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  42. ↑ "XXXTentacion Breaks Taylor Swift's Spotify Streaming Record | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  43. ↑ "XXXTentacion shooting: Rapper's music sales skyrocket 1,603% as fans hold impromptu vigils". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  44. ↑ Rolli, Bryan. "XXXTentacion's Amazon Album Sales Skyrocket More Than 700,000% Following His Death". Forbes. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  45. ↑ "Beyonce & JAY-Z vs. 5 Seconds of Summer for No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  46. ↑ "XXXTentacion's 'Sad!' Vaults From No. 52 to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 Following Rapper/Singer's Death". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
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