Popular Florida Rapper Julio Foolio was reportedly shot and killed during his 26th birthday party in Tampa, in what his attorney characterized as an “ambush” attack.
Three other people were shot in the luxury car that Foolio was riding in at about 4:45 a.m. in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn hotel in Tampa, according to WFLA station in Florida.
Foolio, who was born and raised as Charles Jones in Jacksonville, Florida, was best known for his song “Voo Doo.” He’d been providing videos and updates about his birthday celebration for his one million Instagram followers throughout the night when tragedy struck.
The party originally popping off at the Airbnb had become overcrowded with partiers, and local police had shut it down and ordered the attendees to disperse.
Hauntingly, Foolio gave one more IG update on his party, saying, “Best birthday evrrrr. Appreciate everybody who pulled up. We turnt up ’til we couldn’t no more. We on the way to the show now, y’all pull up.”
This is why Foolio and his crew pulled up to the Holiday Inn, to find a place to finish the party and then close out the night.
The rapper’s alleged girlfriend, Mani B, confirmed Foolio’s premature death on social media.
“Y’all took my boyfriend from me. I hate y’all & I won’t be the only one crying,” she tweeted with a small, broken heart emoji.
Foolio’s attorney, Lewis Fusco, also spoke on the tragedy on his Instagram Stories.
“Fusco Law Group has been honored to represent Charles Jones, professionally known as Foolio, for several years,” Fusco wrote. “It is with deep sadness that we confirm Mr. Jones passed away early this morning.”
The lawyer continued, saying, “While these events involving our client, Mr. Charles Jones, have been disclosed by law enforcement, we are unable to provide further comments at this time until additional details become public record. We kindly request that the privacy of Mr. Jones and his family be respected during this difficult time.
In a chilling tweet just days before his death, Foolio said this on X.
According to News4Jax news station in Jacksonville, Foolio rose up through the local and regional rap ranks via his popular drill rap videos with scathing lyrics that discussed murders involving rival gangs in Jacksonville.
Newspaper outlet First Coast News reports that Foolio had previously been shot in 2020, 2021 and 2023.
And prior to that, Foolio’s younger brother, Adrian Dennard, was reportedly fatally shot and killed in 2019.
