In the final half of 2020, the one thing we’re all hoping for is justice for Pop Smoke. Thankfully, it may come sooner rather than later.
Four people have been charged in the February shooting death of the rapper, who was killed at a Hollywood Hills home during an apparent robbery, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Corey Walker, 19, and Keandre Rodgers, 18, have each been charged with murder with a special circumstance allegation, which would make them eligible for the death penalty if convicted. The special circumstance alleges that the murder was committed “during the commission of a robbery and a burglary,” the DA’s office added.
Two minors, ages 17 and 15, have also been charged in juvenile court with one count of murder and robbery each.
A fifth person had been arrested Thursday in connection with Jackson’s death, but it’s unclear if that person will also be facing charges.
Pop Smoke, whose birth name is Bashar Barakah Jackson, was shot around 4 a.m. on February 19 inside a rental home in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. City police officers found the 20-year-old rising star with several gunshot wounds after responding to a 911 call.
LAPD Capt. Steve Lurie said the 911 call that brought police to the Hercules Drive address came from someone on the East Coast, who “stated a friend of theirs home was being broken into by multiple suspects, and that one of them was armed with a handgun.”
“When officers arrived there approximately six minutes later, they discovered a victim inside the house had been shot,” Lurie said. “They called the fire department, who arrived and transported that victim to Cedars-Sinai, where he was pronounced dead.”
Jackson’s debut album, Shoot For the Moon, Aim For The Stars, was posthumously released on July 3. The hit album featured appearances by 50 Cent, Roddy Ricch, Quavo, Tyga and Karol G.