Takeoff of Rap Trio Migos Shot Dead at Houston Party

Migos member Takeoff, 28, was reportedly gunned down Tuesday at a Houston bowling alley
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 1, 2022 9:05 AM CDT
Rapper Takeoff Killed at Houston Party
Takeoff, of Migos, arrives at the ESPY awards show on July 10, 2019, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Initial reports of a man fatally gunned down at a Texas party early Tuesday didn't offer many details, including the identity of the deceased, whom they simply described as a Black man in his 20s. Now, TMZ (reader discretion advised: link contains graphic photos) confirms with law enforcement sources and witnesses that the person shot was 28-year-old rapper Takeoff, youngest member of the group Migos, who was said to have been playing dice with fellow Migos member Quavo at Houston's 810 Billiards & Bowling when gunfire broke out.

Houston Police Department Sgt. Michael Arrington tells KTRK that officers responded around 2:30am to a call at the bowling alley, where a private party that had officially ended around 1am had continued into the wee hours. KHOU reports that, per police, about 40 people were hanging around a balcony on the facility's third floor when someone started shooting; security guards there said they didn't see who. Police say the deceased victim was shot in the head or neck, and that two others were injured and taken to a local hospital or hospitals.

Takeoff (real name Kirshnik Khari Ball) started rapping with Quavo, his uncle, and Offset, his cousin, in 2008, under the name Polo Club, per the Guardian. Three years later they were going by Migos and released their debut mixtape, Juug Season. Their first big hit, "Versace," came out in 2013, while their 2016 song "Bad and Boujee," featuring Lil Uzi Vert, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. TMZ has photos said to be from the shooting scene that appear to show Quavo and others hovered over someone on the ground, with what looks to be blood spatters nearby. Many on Twitter expressed disgust at the outlet publishing those pictures. "Posting death photos is beyond cruel," one commenter noted. "They did the same exact thing when Kobe died." (More rapper stories.)

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