Killing of Takeoff

Kirshnik Khari Ball, known professionally as Takeoff, was an American rapper best known as the youngest member of the hip hop group Migos alongside his uncle Quavo and Offset. Born June 18, 1994, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, he began performing with the group in 2008 and achieved commercial success through albums including Culture and Culture II, both of which reached number one on the Billboard 200. In October 2022, weeks before his death, he and Quavo released a collaborative album, Only Built for Infinity Links.

On November 1, 2022, following a private party at 810 Billiards & Bowling in the GreenStreet development in Houston, Texas, Ball was shot multiple times in the head and torso. According to Houston's KHOU-11 TV, approximately 40 people had gathered outside the venue after the party ended around 1:00 a.m. CDT. Houston Police Sergeant Michael Arrington stated that an altercation broke out among a large group gathered outside the venue's third-floor entrance, and at least two guns were fired. Takeoff's record label described his death as the result of a "stray bullet," and Houston police chief Troy Finner said he did not believe Takeoff had been the intended target.

The Houston Police Department reported the fatal shooting occurred at 2:50 a.m. CDT and that the victim was found dead on arrival. Two other people — 24-year-old Joshua "Wash" Washington, a business associate of Quavo, and a 23-year-old woman — sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Police withheld Takeoff's identity until his family was notified and his identity verified by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, before later confirming he had been killed in the shooting. A nurse living near the scene reportedly ran to help him but he was already dead by the time she arrived.

In the investigation that followed, 22-year-old Joshua Cameron, also known as Lil Cam 5th, was detained by Houston police on November 26, 2022. On December 2, 2022, 33-year-old Patrick Xavier Clark was also detained; investigators believed it was Clark's shot that killed Takeoff. On May 26, 2023, Clark was indicted by a grand jury for the murder of Takeoff, facing a potential sentence of between 25 years and life in prison if convicted.

Takeoff's death prompted tributes across music and sports, including from Quavo, Gucci Mane, 50 Cent, LeBron James, and multiple professional sports teams. A public "Celebration of Life" was held at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on November 11, 2022, attended by over 20,000 people, after which he was buried at Peachtree Memorial Park in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. His posthumous chart performance, including the album Only Built for Infinity Links and the single "Hotel Lobby (Unc & Phew)," rose significantly following his death.