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Since the news of his death, fans have been looking for answers about who killed Takeoff and how the Migos member died.
Takeoff, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, was the youngest member of the hip-hop trio Migos, along with his uncle, Quavo, and his first uncle once removed, Offset. Since Migos’ first single, “Versace,” in 2013, the group has scored several top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 including “Motorsport,” “Stir Fry,” “Walk It Talk It” and “Bad and Boujee,” which reached number one. The group has also received two Grammy Award nominations.
Takeoff, who was born on June 18, 1994, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, died on November 1, 2022, in a shooting in Houston, Texas. He was 28 years old. In an interview on the “Drink Champs” podcast a week before his death, Takeoff opened up about how he wanted to be recognized for his work while he was still alive and not when he’s dead. I’m chill, I’m-laid back, but it’s time to pop it. I want to get into my flow. Time to give me my flowers. I don’t want them when I ain’t here,” he said at the time.
After the news of his death, Drake, who collaborated with Migos on the 2018 song “Walk It Talk It,” paid tribute to Takeoff in an Instagram post. “Got the best memories of all of us seeing the world together and bringing light to every city we touch. That’s what I’ll focus on for now. rest easy space man,” he captioned a photo of him and Takeoff from their Aubrey and the Three Migos Tour in 2018. SZA also paid tribute to Takeoff in a tweet. “This Takeoff shit so weird .. I’m genuinely creeped out by the world . I cried . God bless that man’s spirit his family and friends . SUCH A TALENTED SOUL .. ion understand,” she wrote. Machine Gun Kelly was another rapper who paid tribute to the late Migos member. “i had the honor of being on migos first mixtape back in like 09’…crazy what they’ve done since. i was so proud of that album cho and takeoff just dropped, the bars and production were so mean, i’m just glad he got to experience SOME of his flowers while he was here. RIP Take 🕊” he tweeted at the time.
So who killed Takeoff and how did he die? Read on for what police know so far about who shot and killed Takeoff and what his cause of death was.
Who killed Takeoff?
Image: Jeff Hahne/Getty Images.
Who killed Takeoff? The Houston Police Department charged Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, on December 2, 2022, with the murder of Takeoff. “Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, charged with the murder of Kirshnik Khari Ball (Takeoff),” the police department tweeted at the time with a mugshot of the suspect. Cameron Joshua, 22, was also charged with felony possession of a weapon in relation to Takeoff’s death.
Before the charges, the Houston Police Department asked the public for any information regarding Takeoff’s death at a press conference on November 1, 2022. “We are looking for any information at this time,” Sergeant Michael Arrington, the lead investigator on the case, said at the time. “We know the media has received a lot of phone calls, text messages, tweets, vines, videos. We need all of y’all to send those to us so we can solve this case.” He continued, “We want to find justice for this family. They’re going through a lot right now … Help us to apprehend and get charges and arrest on the person responsible for the death of Takeoff.”
Migos’ record label, Quality Control Music, also reported in a statement on November 1, 2022, that Takeoff was killed by a “stray bullet” and not an intentional shot. “It is with broken hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the loss of our beloved brother Kirsnick Khari Ball, known to the world as Takeoff. Senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated,” the statement read. “Please respect his family and friends as we all continue to process this monumental loss.” Radar Online also reported that Takeoff wasn’t the main target and was caught in the “crossfire” of the shooting. The site also reported that Takeoff and the shooter weren’t arguing before he was shot. “Whatever happened, it didn’t have to do with Takeoff,” the source said.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner at the press conference also revealed that he believed the suspect—or suspects—were guests at the party Takeoff attended at 810 Billiards & Bowling Houston on Halloween night. “What if this was your brother? What if this was your son? Please step up,” he said at the press conference. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner assured the public at the press conference that Takeoff’s killer will be found. “We will solve this case. We will find the shooter or shooters,” he said.
In a video published by TMZ on November 2, 2022, a day after Takeoff’s death, Quavo could be seen in an altercation with short dreads who held a gun by his side. The man was wearing a navy blue shirt, cap and a black cross-body bag with patches on it. The Houston Police Department confirmed to TMZ the man is a person of interest in Takeoff’s death. According to the video, the man doesn’t fire the first shot, however, TMZ reports that about five seconds after the first shot, he is seen raising his gun and seemingly firing it. The video also shows Quavo walking behind the man two seconds before the first shot is fired.
How did Takeoff die?
Image: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella.
How did Takeoff die? Takeoff, whose real name was Kirsnick Khari Ball, was shot dead in the early morning of November 1, 2022, outside the front door of 810 Billiards & Bowling in Houston, Texas. He was 28 years old. TMZ reported that Takeoff and his band mate and uncle, Quavo, were at the bowling alley playing dice when a fight broke out and someone opened fire, shooting Takeoff in the head or near the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Houston Police Department also reported at a press conference at the time that two other people were shot at the party and were taken to local area hospital in private vehicles with “non-life-threatening injuries.” They were a 23-year-old male and a 24-year-old female.“Both of them are going to be OK,” Quavo was not injured.
“This morning at 2:34 a.m. officers received a call of a shooting in progress. Officers arrived there shortly thereafter — a downtown location, Billiards & Bowling Alley. They came upon a male who was deceased. That male has been identified as Kirshnik Ball, better known as Takeoff. He’s a member of the Migos rap group, out of Atlanta,” Houton Police Chief Troy Finner said at the press conference. He continued, “I got many calls from Houston and outside of Houston. And everyone spoke of what a great young man this is, how peaceful he is. What a great artist.”
Houston Police Sergeant Michael Arrington added, “A private party was booked out for the event — after that ended, a large group of people gathered at the front door area outside of the building, and that led to an argument where the shooting took place from the disagreement,” he said. “A lot of the people that were there fled the scene and did not stick around to give a statement. We’re asking them to either call us at the homicide division or if they would like to remain anonymous, they can call Crime Stoppers. We’re looking for any information at this time — any videos, any information. We need all of y’all to send those to us so we can solve this case. We’re looking for anything to help us. We want to find justice for this family.”
In audio of the 911 call obtained by TMZ, emergency dispatchers could be heard discussing the incident, reporting there were five shots fired and that the caller heard gunshots and people screaming. In a video of the shooting posted by TMZ, Quavo could also be heard on the phone with an emergency dispatcher as a woman on the scene who said she was a nurse was helping Takeoff. “What does she need to do?” Quavo said.
At the press conference, Chief Finner revealed that Takeoff’s mother, the sister of his Migos member Quavo, immediately flew to Houston after his death. “I spoke to this young man’s mother just an hour ago — she flew in here from out of town. I want everybody to understand the pain, the suffering of a mother. Very tough,” Finner said. “And I told her, as we stand with any victim of violence or any homicide victim, their family, we stand with them in this city, in this police department. I want to thank our homicide unit under the direction of Commander Spears for doing great work, time and time again.” He continued, “I ask that we all pray for his mother, his family, and all of his friends who are in deep pain and shock still right now. We have no reason to believe he was involved in anything criminal at the time. Peaceful, loving, great entertainer.”
Chief Finner also took a moment to comment on the hip-hop community, explaining that the community gets a “bad name” because of the number of rappers who have been killed in recent years. “I know a lot of great people in our hip-hop community and I respect them,” he said. “I’m calling up on everybody, all hip hop artists, in Houston and around the nation. We’ve got to police ourselves. We all need to stand together and make sure that nobody tears down that industry.”
