More details have emerged in the murder of rapper Pop Smoke who was killed on February 19, 2020, in Los Angeles during a botched home invasion. Five suspects were arrested in July 2020 in connection with his killing and are awaiting trial.
Detective Christian Carrasco testified on Thursday, May 6, that Pop Smoke, born Bashar Jackson, was taking a shower at an Airbnb in Los Angeles when masked men stormed through the curtains of a second-story balcony. Carrasco spoke on the details of the murder during the preliminary trial hearing for Corey Walker, 20, who is one of the five men being charged in the murder of the Brooklyn rapper.
Carrasco testified about statements that were made by a woman who was with Pop Smoke the day he died. The unidentified woman was interviewed by police immediately after the shooting. According to the detective’s testimony, one intruder allegedly pressed a black semiautomatic firearm to the forehead of the woman that night while the others rushed into the adjoining bathroom.
“She heard a struggle coming from the shower area and heard Mr. Jackson screaming. Mr. Jackson ran out of the bathroom and then she heard a loud pop and [heard] Mr. Jackson fall to the ground,” according to Carrasco’s testimony in a report from the New York Daily News.
“Two other individuals began to kick him,” Carrasco further commented on the stand. “Mr. Jackson gets up and runs downstairs. She hears two more pops. She follows Mr. Jackson, sees him on the ground, and screams for Michael [Durodola] to call 911.”
The woman also told detectives she believed the home invaders fled with a “large gold watch” and other jewelry.
The court proceedings are currently being held in the murder case to determine if there is sufficient evidence for Walker to face trial. Walker is the only person being tried as an adult in the murder case after a judge determined the other suspects were minors at the time of Pop Smoke’s death.
Walker could face the death penalty if convicted.
