HOUSTON – Takeoff wasn’t from the Houston community, but it’s clear that he was loved by Houstonians.
Some of the mementos fans brought to a growing memorial could be found near the shooting scene as many offered condolences and called for peace.
The deadly incident appears to have started off as a heated exchange of words.
In the video sent to us by TMZ, rapper Quavo of the internationally known hip-hop group Migos can be seen speaking intensely outside of 810 Billards and Bowling on San Jacinto Street in downtown Houston, as a man said to be Takeoff stands nearby.
Around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning gunfire started blasting off. At least three people were shot, but Houston police confirm 28-year-old Kirshnik Khari Ball, better known as Takeoff, was the one person killed.
“Migos in general changed the whole music industry,” one fan said.
He was one of several who came together at the memorial in honor of the Atlanta area native.
“It’s just really sad to see,” he added.
“Another one, almost like DJ Khaled man… another one. It’s just senseless,” another fan said.
“I’m at a loss for words because I feel like I’m at this moment in time like why now why him?” another fan asked.
Meanwhile, community leaders reiterate what’s become an all too familiar call for change.
“He represented our future, and to lose your life due to gun violence is absolutely absurd. We can not continue to allow this to happen in a community like ours,” said Bishop James Dixon, Pastor of the Community of Faith Church and president of Houston NAACP.
Houston police said security guards who were at the event before the shooting heard the gunfire but reportedly did not see who did it. They are reviewing surveillance footage and asking anyone with information to come forward.
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