(UPDATE: 12/05/22 AT 5:44 PM ET): Four days after Patrick Xavier Clark’s arrest, the man who was charged for the murder of the later rapper Takeoff, pleaded his innocence in court, per The Daily Mail. Court documents obtained by the outlet showed that he had “large amounts of cash” on his person and had planned to leave for Mexico with an “expedited passport” just before the arrest. Patrick’s attorney reportedly “says he’s innocent of the crime.” He is currently being held on $2 million bond. There will be a bond reduction hearing held on Dec. 14.
ORIGINAL STORY: Former Migos member Takeoff was shot and killed in the early hours of Nov. 1, 2022. Now, officials have arrested Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, and charged him with murder for the shocking tragedy. His mugshot can be seen below. The arrest was made on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 1, according to Houston Police chief Troy Finner in a press conference on Dec. 2. A 22-year-old man named Cameron Joshua was also charged with the unlawful carrying of a weapon.
“We lost a good man,” Finner said during the conference. I did not have the pleasure of meeting him. Everybody in the hundreds of people that I talk to spoke about what a great individual he was. I want to thank the family and everybody else for their patience and for allowing us to work through the evidence and the facts.”
After Finner, a sergeant within the Houston Police Department gave more insight into what went down that tragic night. “The event was a private party. There was a lucrative dice game that went on at the event. There was an argument that happened afterward outside the bowling alley, which led to the shooting,” he explained. He added that Takeoff was “not involved in the argument” and was an “innocent bystander.”
The late “Hotel Lobby” rapper was born on June 18, 1994, and sadly died at the young age of 28 years old. Takeoff, born Kirshnik Khari Ball, was a member of the popular music group Migos that included Quavo, 31, and Offset, 30. His unfortunate passing was confirmed by his lawyer, Drew Findling, in a statement to HollywoodLife on Nov. 1. “Along with my firm, I am devastated by the tragic death of Kirshnik Ball, known to his fans as Takeoff,” Drew’s statement began. “Takeoff was not only a brilliant musical artist with unlimited talent but also a uniquely kind and gentle soul. He will be greatly missed now and always.”
Of course, Quavo and Offset — two of the closet people to Takeoff — have since each posted emotional tributes to the rapper. Quavo, Takeoff’s uncle, shared a heartfelt post on Nov. 12. “It’s so hard to tell you I’mma miss you because you’re always with me. And we did everything together,” the Instagram note began. “Since we were kids you been by my side, lookin up at me, them eyes waiting on me to make the next move, then you followed up right behind me. You always made sure I did it first so you can do it right with me. You never competed with me, we were always on the same team. You hated playing against me.”
He went on to praise his nephew as the “most unbothered person in the world” and said he was someone who never got mad or raised his voice. He pointed out that his nephew was always the “funniest” person in the room, as well. He called Takeoff his “angel” and said he was “proud” to be his uncle. “You will continue to send your blessings down from heaven,” he said near the end of his post. “And I will continue to keep your name alive as long as I live.”
Offset’s tribute post to Instagram came a few days later. “The pain you have left me with is unbearable,” Offset, who was Takeoff’s cousin, began. “My heart is shattered and I have so many things to say, but I can’t find the words. I’ve been going to sleep and waking up and hoping that all of this is a dream, but it’s reality, and reality feels like a nightmare.”
“Every time you would see me, you didn’t give me a dap you gave me a hug,” he continued in the emotionally vulnerable message. “I wish I could hug you one last time. Laugh one last time. Smoke one one last time. Perform one last time.”
Several other celebrities and fellow rappers have also released emotional tributes to mourn the star. “Put It On Me” rapper JaRule, 46, took to Twitter on Nov. 1 and wrote, “Rip Takeoff… this sh** has to STOP… sending love to friends and family.” Gucci Mane, 42, who previously collaborated with Migos in 2018 took to Instagram to share a photo of Takeoff. “This broke my heart Rest In Peace @yrntakeoff,” he captioned the post along with a broken heart emoji.
Rip Takeoff… this shit has to STOP… sending love to friends and family 🕊🙏🏾
— Ja Rule (@jarule) November 1, 2022
Grown-ish actress Chloe Bailey, 24, was another artist who shared a message of mourning via Twitter. “RIP Takeoff my heart is broken,” the brunette bombshell wrote. Even Hustlers actress Keke Palmer, 29, took to Instagram to post a photo of the late recording artist to highlight the sadness of his death. “This is horrible. From the tragedy of the death to the tragedy of there being a video of it online. It’s all just tragic and I am so sorry to his whole family and all he touched. Really terrible,” she captioned the post.
Hours before his sudden passing, Takeoff had taken to Instagram to share a clip of his and Quavo’s latest music video for their song “Messy”. Following the news of his death, many of Takeoff’s 8.4 million followers took to the comment section to share their own thoughts and messages of support for his loved ones. “You the realest dawg I’d give anything to have you back I love you bro,” rapper Rich the Kid wrote. “rest easy brother,” another fan chimed in, while someone else added, “It’s so sad and eerie when someone passes away and their story is still up..crazy how life can be taken away so fast. Rest In Peace Takeoff.”