Rapper Pop Smoke May Have Been Targeted By This Gang

Rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed at a Hollywood Hills home in the early morning hours of Feb. 19, 2020. Initially, TMZ reported that the Brooklyn-born rapper was the victim of a home invasion robbery. However, in the days following his death, new information has come to light.

According to the Los Angeles Times, while investigators aren't "ruling out a robbery," they are searching for other possible motives. "I am not comfortable calling it a robbery right now," said Capt. Jonathan Tippet, head of the Robbery-Homicide Division of the Los Angeles Police Department. "There is a lot of information available. We have some work to do."

After being shot multiple times by his assailants, Pop Smoke (birth name Bashar Barakah Jackson) was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood, where he was pronounced dead.

At the time of his death, Pop Smoke was an up-and-coming rapper, working to make a name for himself. That's why it's not surprising that there's quite a bit that the public didn't know about the rapper — including his possible ties to one gang that is now being linked to his untimely death. Here's why investigators think Pop Smoke may have been targeted by a gang.

Around 4:30 a.m., on Feb. 19, 2020, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call on the 2000 block of Hercules Drive regarding "an unknown number of masked suspects" who entered the residence and "shot a black male in his 20s" (via People). We now know that person was Pop Smoke.

According to the Los Angeles Times, "video reviewed by investigators shows no cash, jewels or other valuables being carried away from the home by the assailants." The fact that the four assailants reportedly did not take a single item from the $2.5 million Hollywood Hills mansion has led investigators to believe that it may have been a planned attack. That being said, it is unclear whether or not "his assailants intended to kill him from the onset."

So who were Pop Smoke's assailants? Well, at the time of this writing, the identities of the four suspects are unknown. However, according to the Los Angeles Times, law enforcement believes the 20-year-old was affiliated with the Crips street gang, which is why investigators are now trying to determine if the slaying was gang-related.

Even though investigators haven't officially named any suspects, the internet has been pointing fingers at a person close to the rapper.

Hours before his death, Pop Smoke took to Instagram to post a series of pictures of himself posing with Louis Vuitton luggage and huge wads of cash. In the last photo of the series, the rapper is sitting next to his longtime friend, Mike Dee. In the hours following Pop Smoke's death, the same friend was accused of setting the rapper up to be killed.

While several celebrities reacted to Pop Smoke's tragic death on social media, in light of the accusations, Dee took to Instagram to defend himself as well as mourn his friend. "Can't nothing express the pain I'm feeling," he wrote alongside a series of pictures of the two over the years. "I just lost my f***ing brother, my heart my dawgz. You guys have no type of sense or sympathy! Y'all don't know what's going on y'all come on here playing investigator and bashing me on the internet, I would never in my life set my brother up..."

He added, "Just know, I got you forever brother. The truth will come to light until then, sleep in peace." Only time will tell how long it will take investigators to find out the truth about the morning Pop Smoke was murdered, but there's one key detail that they are taking into account.

Investigators have discovered that, in the hours leading up to his death, Pop Smoke might have made a fatal mistake on social media. According to the Los Angeles Times, "the rapper may have inadvertently posted an image showing the address of the home where he was staying to social media." Through the post, it's believed that Pop Smoke potentially gave away his location to people who may have wanted to hurt him.

In addition to posting a location-tagged Instagram story (and posting photos on his Instagram account), TMZ reports that hours before the attack, Pop Smoke accidentally posted the address of his home while showing off gift bags he had received in honor of his mixtape's top 10 debut on the Billboard 200 charts. The rapper had released the mixtape just a few weeks before his death and was slated to start touring in early March.

Sadly, Pop Smoke is not the only rapper we've lost in 2020.