One of the defendants charged in the tragic murder of rap star Pop Smoke claims he urged the other suspects to use non-deadly force.
The only adult charged in the murder, Corey Walker, claims he assaulted the alleged shooter after discovering he’d fired a gun at Pop Smoke.
Pop Smoke, named Bashar Jackson, rose to fame with his hit singles Dior and Welcome to the Party.
He released his first mixtape in July 2019; however, before his first album release, Jackson was shot dead at age 20.
According to the LAPD, Pop Smoke was in the shower when five masked and hooded assailants broke into the rented mansion and made their way into his bedroom.
A woman was held at gunpoint when she heard men shoot Jackson three times during a struggle for his watch and jewelry.
The accused shooter was 15 years old at the time of the crime.
Pop Smoke murder suspect claims he assaulted shooter
According to Rolling Stone, Corey Walker’s lawyer, Christopher Darden, claims that the accused killer told the suspects to use a flower vase rather than a gun if they had to defend themselves.
Darden filed a motion to have the murder charge dismissed, arguing that his client was only the driver and did not plan the crime.
However, Walker provided a weapon to one of the suspects, but Darden claims it was not the gun used in the killing.
“The defendant was aware that a weapon was being used,” Darden wrote, adding, “he was careful to insist that his weapon” is not fired.
Darden also claimed his client attacked the shooter when he discovered a weapon was fired.
“It was only after the robbers exited the house and reentered the vehicle that [Walker] learned of the shooting. In response, [Walker] assaulted the shooter,” he argued.
The article notes that a detective linked a Google account to Corey Walker, who reportedly researched Pop Smoke’s rental residence and information of a Rolex less than an hour after the initial phone call to the emergency services.
Suspects made just $2000 from robbery
The 15-year-old accused of killing Jackson demanded his jewelry, according to a reported jail confession.
The suspect claimed Pop Smoke initially complied with the demands for his jewelry but then tried to fight off the robbers.
According to the detectives in the case, the suspects only made off with his diamond-studded Rolex, which they sold for just $2,000.