There were reportedly at least four masked men who broke into the Hollywood Hills home where Pop Smoke was staying.
As many mourn the loss of Pop Smoke (born Bashar Barakah Jackson), a rising star whose music has provided and will continue to provide joy to so many, we wonder how and why this tragedy occurred. When the news of the Brooklyn rapper’s death broke this morning (Feb. 19), not many details were provided. TMZ reported that he was murdered in a home invasion in the Hollywood Hills. The property is owned by Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp, so it seems Pop Smoke was renting it.
The initial report stated that there were two masked men who critically injured Pop Smoke at around 4:30 AM on Wednesday. The invaders supposedly fired shots at Pop Smoke before fleeing the scene. He was brought to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. The perpetrators have still not been identified or caught.
TMZ has now provided an update on the case. Rather than just two culprits, sources with access to the home’s surveillance footage deduced that there were at least four masked men who snuck onto the premises. They wore hoodies and made their way into the house just 10 minutes after people inside deadbolted the front doors shut. The fact that the house alarm wasn’t turned on apparently aided the invaders in making their attack. Pop Smoke’s close friend and housemate, Mike Dee, has spoken about the rapper’s death after being accused by fans of setting him up.
One of the first places they went to was his childhood friend Mike Dee’s profile, where some people allegedly noticed that he had deleted posts and changed some of his captions after Smoke’s death became public information. One of the key instances that people are pointing to is a video of the two where a portion of Smoke’s address is visible. Searching for somebody to blame, the rapper’s fans began to look at Mike, which is truly unfair to the man considering he just lost his friend. Mike was staying with Pop Smoke in Los Angeles, but his whereabouts during the shooting are unknown. Speaking out about what happened this morning, the aspiring actor hit social media with a message.
“CANT NOTHING EXPRESS THE PAIN IM FEELING ….I JUST LOST MY FUCKING BROTHER, MY HEART MY DAWGZ,” said Mike Durodola. “YOU GUYS HAVE NO TYPE OF SENSE OR SYMPATHY ! YALL DONT KNO WHATS GOING ON YALL COME ON HERE PLAYING INVESTIGATOR AND BASHING ME ON THE INTERNET, I WOULD NEVER IN MY LIFE SET MY BROTHER UP, WE ATE TOGETHER , BROKE BREAD TOGETHER THIS REALLY MY MOTHER CHILD I DONT GOTTA EXPLAIN NOTHING TO NOBODY THAT DONT KNO ME BUT FOR THE ONES WHO KNOW ME KNOW WHEN YOU SAW ME YOU SAW POP.”
Durodola’s post includes several photos of the two together, including one when they were children. We will continue to keep you updated on any potential developments. Rest in peace, Pop.
