Texas grand jury indicts man in fatal shooting of rapper Takeoff

HOUSTON– The man accused of fatally shooting rapper Migos Takeoff last year outside a Houston bowling alley has been charged with murder, court records show.

Patrick Xavier Clark had been released on $1 million bail when a Houston grand jury indicted him on Thursday.

Letitia Quinones-Hollins, one of Clark’s attorneys, said the indictment was not unexpected.

“When we walk into a courtroom and before a jury, where we can present our evidence and cross-examine the state’s witnesses…we expect the jury to come back with a verdict of not guilty,” Quinones-Hollins said in a statement Thursday.

Takeoff was shot in the head and back as more than 30 people left a private bowling party at around 2.30am on November 1. Houston police say the shootings followed a disagreement over a “lucrative” dice game outside. bowling, but that the 28-year-old rapper was not involved and was “an innocent bystander”.

Clark, 33, who worked as a DJ and nightclub promoter, was arrested on December 1.

Authorities allege surveillance video showed Clark holding a bottle of wine in one hand when he fired his gun. Fingerprints found on the bottle were later used to identify him. FBI sources had also indicated that Clark was at the shooting, according to police.

Prosecutors alleged that Clark attempted to flee the country before his arrest, searching online for information about using fake airline tickets to obtain an expedited passport.

Quinones-Hollins denied that Clark was trying to leave the country after the shooting.

Born Kirsnick Khari Ball, Takeoff was the youngest member of Migos, the Grammy-nominated rap trio from suburban Atlanta that also included his uncle Quavo and cousin Offset.

Clark’s next hearing is set for August 23.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: twitter.com/juanlozano70