XXXTentacion murder: Police reveal how killers tracked rapper in final moments before fatal shooting
Two men, one wearing bright orange sandals, followed rapper into motorbike dealership before blocking his exit in armed robbery
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Your support makes all the difference.The killers of rapper XXXTentacion tracked his movements before shooting him dead in a robbery, police have revealed.
CCTV footage studied by detectives showed two men, one in orange sandals, following XXXTentacion into a motorbike dealership, where they bought a red mask, according to court documents.
A 22-year-old suspect has been arrested and charged with murdering the rapper, real name Jahseh Onfroy, after he was ambushed and fatally shot in his BMW electric car in Florida.
Police said surveillance camera footage showed two men climbing out of a dark SUV and following the rapper into Riva Motorsports in Deerfield Beach at 3.30pm on Monday.
One of the men, wearing a white tank top and wearing bright orange sandals, bought a mask from the high-end dealership’s parts department, added detective John Curcio of the Broward Sheriff’s Office in a sworn court statement obtained by the New York Times.
The men then left the store and moved their vehicle to the entrance of the car park. When Onfroy tried to drive away in his BMW, his killers – now masked and armed – stepped out of their car and “demanded property”, wrote the detective.
“After a brief struggle, the victim is shot,” Det Curcio added. XXXTentacion’s killers stole a Louis Vuitton bag from his car before driving off.
XXXTentacion's attorney, David Bogenschutz, said investigators told him the rapper had visited a bank shortly before the shooting and possibly withdrew cash to buy a motorbike. He said Onfroy appeared to have been the victim of a "random robbery".
Dedrick Devonshay Williams, of Pompano Beach, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with the rapper’s first-degree murder.
Police said they found recent pictures of Williams, a tattoo artist, wearing “the same or similar bright orange sandals” as Onfroy’s killer on his Instagram feed. Riva Motorsports staff also identified him from photographs.
No other arrests have been made but the sheriff's office said it was seeking additional suspects in the murder investigation.
Williams appeared before Broward County judge Kim Theresa Mollica via video on Thursday afternoon.
Court records show Williams has been charged previously with several offences, including car theft, domestic violence, cocaine possession and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Some of the charges were dropped and he is not thought to have spent time in prison.
XXXTentacion's girlfriend revealed on Friday she was pregnant with the artist's baby.
His mother, Cleopatra Bernard, confirmed his girlfriend was pregnant on Instagram, where she posted an ultrasound photo with the caption: “He left us a final gift.”
Onfroy had been widely touted as a future superstar his genre. His album ? topped the US charts in March.
However, his career was also dogged by controversy and at the time of his death he was facing charges over accusations he beat up his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
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