Migos’s Atlanta-based record label Quality Control has shared a statement on the fatal shooting of their rapper Takeoff. “It is with broken hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the loss of our beloved brother Kirshnik Khari Ball, known to the world as Takeoff,” the label wrote on Instagram. “Senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated. Please respect his family and friends as we all continue to process this monumental loss.”
At a press conference, Houston mayor Sylvester Turner and police chief Troy Finner responded to the shooting, asking any of the supposedly 40 people who were present on the scene to come forward with details.
“I’m calling you to action, to step up – there were 40 people at least at this event, and people left possibly out of fear. I ask you one thing and I want this to resonate with everybody,” Finner said. “What if it was your brother or your son? You would want somebody to step up, so please step up, get the information to us so we can get some closure to this family who’s hurting right now.” Turner added: “Let us bring justice to this family.”
Finner also noted how “peaceful” and “what a great artist” Takeoff was, and stressed the importance of minimising gun violence among the hip-hop community. “I’m calling up on everybody, hip-hop artists in Houston and around the nation – we’ve got to police ourselves,” he said. “There’s so many talented individuals, men and women, in that community, who I love and I respect, and we all need to stand together and make sure nobody tears down that industry.”
Takeoff was killed in the early hours of 1 November at a bowling alley in Houston where he and his uncle, fellow Migos member Quavo, were playing dice. Police were called to the scene around 2.30am, where Takeoff was pronounced dead. Two others at the venue were taken to hospital and are in a stable condition. The news of Takeoff’s death has been met with an outpouring of grief from hip-hop artists and fans, with many lamenting the amount of young rappers who have been shot and killed in recent years, among them Pop Smoke and XXXTentacion.
