Takeoff’s accused killer was indicted for murder on Thursday by a Texas grand jury.
Houston police arrested Patrick Xavier Clark a month after the fatal shooting on Nov. 1, according to the county’s District Attorney’s office. Clark’s attorney, Carl Moore, spoke to TMZ about the jury’s decision and the outcome the defense predicts.
“Today’s action by the grand jury is not unexpected. We would ask people to remember that getting an indictment requires meeting a very, very minimal standard of proof.”
Moore continued, “When we get inside a courtroom and in front of a jury, where we will be able to put on our evidence and cross-examine the state’s witnesses— where the standard of proof is guilt beyond a reasonable doubt— we expect the jury will come back with a verdict of not guilty.”
Takeoff’s Alleged Killer Indicted for Murder In Migos Rapper’s Shooting Death https://t.co/uQOePpjpIn
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 25, 2023
As previously reported, Clark stunned the court when he asked the judge to grant him $5,000 to hire a private investigator to prove his innocence, citing financial hardship.
Six months ago, Takeoff — born Kirshnik Khari Bal — was shot multiple times at a bowling alley following a disagreement over a game of dice game.
Sergeant Michael Burton declared Takeoff an “innocent bystander” after Clark’s arrest, but the alleged shooter was later released in January on a $1 million bond.
“The event was a private party, there was a lucrative dice game that went on at the event, there was an argument that happened afterwards outside the bowling alley which led to the shooting,” Burton said. “I can tell you that Takeoff was not involved in playing the dice game, he was not involved in the argument that happened outside, he was not armed. He was an innocent bystander.”
Police identified Clark as the shooter from the surveillance video. The footage showed him retrieving a weapon and firing multiple shots as he held a wine bottle with his free hand, according to court records obtained by KHOU 11 News Houston.
Despite the chaos at the dice game, forensic evidence narrowed down Clark as the accused shooter. DNA evidence and viable fingerprints on the wine bottle linked Clark to the scene. The prosecution’s investigators allegedly determined Clark was the only possible shooter based on his positioning and where Takeoff stood. The unarmed rapper sustained gunshot wounds to the head and torso.
Former Migos Members Quavo And Offset Move On Separately After Takeoff’s Murder
Both Quavo and Offset will soon release their first albums since the tragic murder ended the Migos for good. Quavo’s album titled Rocket Power is dedicated to his beloved nephew. Offset’s upcoming project posthumously features him. Offset, who recently revealed he isn’t biologically related to Quavo or Offset, expressed the difficulty in accepting his childhood friends’ death.
“It’s hard for me to talk about shit right now. I’ve never talked about this stuff. Seriously. Talking about Take is hard, man. Talking about all this shit is hard,” Offset said. “That’s why I don’t, to be honest. That shit hurts. Like, it’s gonna put me in a mood, and I don’t want to get in that mood. Some things I don’t never tell nobody. He’s not here. That shit feels fake, bro. I get through my day thinking it’s fake. And I don’t say nothing to nobody about it.”