Lawyer: Man charged in Takeoff killing says he's innocent - Yahoo News

HOUSTON (AP) — An lawyer for a antheral accused of fatally shooting rapper Takeoff past period said Monday that the musician’s death extracurricular a Houston bowling alley was a calamity but that her lawsuit says he's guiltless of the crime.

Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, made a little tribunal quality successful which prosecutors and his defence attorneys agreed to clasp a enslaved simplification proceeding connected Dec. 14. Clark was arrested connected a execution complaint past week and is jailed connected a $2 cardinal bond.

Clark, handcuffed and dressed successful orangish jailhouse clothing, did not accidental thing during Monday's hearing. Letitia Quinones, 1 of Clark’s attorneys, told reporters aft the proceeding that Clark is feeling “nervous and he’s concerned” due to the fact that “he’s being charged with thing that helium believes he’s guiltless of, truthful however would anyone bash successful that benignant of circumstance?”

Prosecutors declined to remark Monday.

Takeoff, 28, was shot successful the caput and backmost arsenic much than 30 radical were leaving a backstage enactment astatine the bowling alley. Houston constabulary said astatine a quality league Friday that the gunfire followed a disagreement implicit a “lucrative” crippled of dice astir 2:30 a.m. connected Nov. 1, but that Takeoff was not progressive and was “an guiltless bystander.”

Police person said different antheral and a pistillate suffered non-life-threatening gunshot injuries, and that astatine slightest 2 radical opened fired. Police said investigators are inactive trying to way down witnesses.

Born Kirsnick Khari Ball, Takeoff was the youngest subordinate of Migos, the Grammy-nominated rap trio from suburban Atlanta that besides featured his uncle Quavo and relative Offset.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said past week that investigators didn't cognize whether Clark was invited to the enactment oregon if helium knew Takeoff. Clark works arsenic a DJ, according to tribunal records.

Asked Monday if Clark knew Takeoff, Quinones said, “We truly don’t privation to spell into the facts astatine this point.”

She said that Takeoff’s decease was a “tragedy and it’s happening good excessively often successful our communities.”

“There is simply a batch of probe that needs to beryllium done. ... So, we conscionable inquire that everyone support an unfastened caput and fto the strategy bash its portion and fto the Constitution bash its portion and that is, close present he’s guiltless until he’s proven guilty,” Quinones said.

Court records bespeak Clark was arrested arsenic helium was preparing to permission the state for Mexico aft getting an expedited passport and that helium had a “large amount” of cash.

Quinones said that Clark had been readying to spell to Mexico connected a abrogation but had canceled his travel earlier his arrest.

“He wasn’t trying to spell anywhere,” Quinones said.

Migos archetypal broke done with the monolithic deed “Versace” successful 2013. They had 4 Top 10 hits connected the Billboard Hot 100, though Takeoff was not connected their multi-week No. 1 deed “Bad and Boujee,” featuring Lil Uzi Vert. They enactment retired a trilogy of albums called “Culture,” “Culture II” and “Culture III,” with the archetypal 2 hitting No. 1 connected the Billboard 200 medium chart.

In the weeks earlier his death, Takeoff and Quavo enactment retired “Only Built for Infinity Links.” Takeoff hoped the associated medium would physique respect for his lyrical abilities, telling the “Drink Champs” podcast, “It’s clip to springiness maine my flowers.”

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Follow Juan A. Lozano connected Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70