An arrest has been made in the shooting death of up-and-coming rapper XXXTentacion.
On Wednesday, cops took Dedrick D. Williams into custody in connection to the rapper’s death.
The 22-year-old faces charges of first-degree murder, driving without a valid license and a probation violation for theft of a car.
Dedrick D. Williams, 22 (left), has been arrested in the shooting death of rapper XXXTentacion, 20 (right)
The 20-year-old rapper was leaving a motorcycle dealership in his BMW sports car on Monday when two men approached his vehicle and shot him to death
XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was leaving a Deerfield Beach, Florida motorcycle dealership in his BMW sports car on Monday when he was approached by two men who shot him to death.
Police believe the murder was a robbery-gone-wrong, since the two men made off with a Louis Vuitton bag. Onfroy’s lawyer also said his client had withdrawn a large sum before visiting the dealership, possibly to purchase a motorcyle.
It’s unclear if cops are still looking for a second suspect. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office did not return DailyMail.com’s requests for comment Thursday morning.
A parade of mourners on Tuesday visited the spot outside the Riva Motorsports where the rapper was gunnned down.
They placed candles, flowers and teddy bears on the sidewalk near the spot. They decorated 100 yards of sidewalk with chalk art including messages of sympathy and loss such as ‘Feel for you XXX’ and ‘4evr Young’.
Myles O’Hara, 17, and Aaron Gavin, 20, sat on the curb, solemnly staring at the ground, mostly ignoring the people who moved past. They said they admired XXXTentacion because he was a local kid who rose from rough circumstances and was making a positive contribution.
‘He had some legal allegations before, but the last year he had only been a positive influence on people’s lives, making hit Billboard songs,’ O’Hara said. ‘He has been a kind person. You could look at his face and smile and he was just a normal kid like us … His style is almost hard to explain. He had an angry tone. He meant everything he said, even the most simplistic words. It just came off his tongue like nothing. He was speaking his mind.’
Gavin said unlike other rappers whose songs emphasize buying expensive merchandise, XXXTentacion rapped about his emotions.
‘X talked about how he felt instead of materialistic things like owning this car, this car, this house, this house,’ Gavin said.
Fans and community members gather at the vigil for rap singer XXXTentacion in Deerfield Beach, Florida, on June 19
XXXTentacion was an up-and-coming rapper with a large following on the music platform Soundcloud. Above, mourners place candles, balloons, and flowers near the site where he was shot on June 19
A parade of mourners showed up to the site where the rapper was murdered on Tuesday, decorating the sidewalk with chalk messages in remembrance of XXXTentacion
Brandon Lang, a 29-year-old magazine owner, said XXXTentacion may have had an angry persona in his performance, but in reality he ‘did good things,’ pointing out that he had come home to perform in an upcoming charity show.
‘He had all these mistakes that could have wound up defining him but he didn’t let that happen,’ Lang said. ‘That is why he is connecting to all these kids because these kids are going through a really sad time, a sad world. He taught them how to cope.’
In Los Angeles, hundreds of fans turned Melrose Avenue into a mosh pit in celebration and mourning of XXXTentacion late Tuesday night.
In an impromptu memorial outside a Hollywood bike shop, fans filling the street and dancing on rooftops shouted along with his songs beneath a cloud of pot smoke.
A big painted sign in the shop window read RIP XXX followed by hearts.
Police closed off the street and let the party grow to nearly 500 people before calling for the crowd to clear out.
The entertainer, who sported dreadlocks and facial tattoos, was a rising star. He notched a No. 1 album in March with his sophomore effort ‘?″ and had a top 10 hit with ‘Sad!’ but was facing trial on charges that he beat up his pregnant girlfriend.
His brief career was marked by controversy. In 2016, he was arrested on charges including home invasion for a 2015 incident, and less than a month later was jailed on charges that he attacked his girlfriend, who was pregnant at the time. Later, he faced more charges including witness tampering.
In an interview this month with the Miami New Times, XXXTentacion described his upbringing, which included seeing his mother infrequently and being raised by friends, family and baby sitters. His mother bought him clothes, phones and other gifts. He said he used violence so she would engage with him.
In one video on social media, he said: ‘If worse things come to worse, I (expletive) die a tragic death or some (expletive), and I’m not able to see out my dreams, I at least want to know that the kids perceive my message and were able to make something of themselves.’
He continued later: ‘I appreciate and love all of you and I believe in you all; do not let your depression make you, do not let your body define your soul, let your soul define your body. Your mind is limitless … you are worth more than you can believe.’