Police arrest Dedrick Williams, in the shooting death of 20-year-old rapper XXXTentacion – Cops stage manhunt for two more suspects
Dedrick Devonshay Williams faces charges of first-degree murder, driving without a valid license and a probation violation for theft of a car
Williams, 22, of Pompano Beach, Fla., was arrested Wednesday – two days after rapper XXXTentacion was shot dead in Deerfield Beach
20-year-old Jahseh Onfroy, aka ‘XXXTentacion’, was leaving a motorcycle dealership when two men approached his vehicle and gunned him down
Cops think the shooting was a robbery gone wrong since the suspects made off with a Louis Vuitton bag
His criminal past includes arrests for cocaine possession and domestic violence
Williams was arraigned in court Thursday and held without bond
Police said to be searching for two more suspects
Alleged killer: Dedrick Devonshire Williams, faces charges of first-degree murder, driving without a valid license and a probation violation for theft of a car in the death of rapper XXXTentacion
Police announced that a known criminal has been arrested in the shooting death of up-and-coming rapper Jahseh Onfroy, aka ‘XXXTentacion’.
Wednesday night around 7pm, cops took Dedrick Devonshay Williams of Pompano Beach, Florida into custody in connection to the rapper’s death, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office revealed Thursday morning.
‘More details and his warrant will be released later today,’ the sheriff’s office said in the statement.
The 22-year-old faces charges of first-degree murder, driving without a valid license and a probation violation for theft of a car.
Williams was arrested Wednesday night in South Florida and booked for first-degree murder by the Sheriff’s Department. He has previous arrests for cocaine possession, weapons possession, domestic violence, aggravated assault with a firearm and grand theft auto.
TMZ reports that police pulled Williams over Wednesday night for driving without a license. He was then placed into custody for an active felony warrant, – the murder of XXXTentacion.. The warrant was signed Tuesday night, just a day after the murder.
A video recorded at vigil for the slain rapper showed mourners erupting in cheers last night when they learned that police had contacted the victim’s mother and informed her that they had made an arrest.
Dedrick Devonshay. Williams, [left], has been arrested in the shooting death of rapper XXXTentacion, [right]
XXXTentacion was shot and killed Monday afternoon in broad daylight as he sat in his car outside of a motorcycle dealer.
Sources said police have identified more people connected to the crime. Two more arrest warrants have been issued in the murder.
No other details about Williams’ arrest have been released, but his Instagram account paints the picture of a young tattoo artist obsessed with money.
His account is mostly filled with pictures of him showing off his tattoo work and posing with large wads of cash.
The suspect Williams allegedly has led a life of crime. His social media page has him showing off his tattoo work.He often poses with large amounts of cash on his Instagram
Boastful armed robber Dedrick Williams [photo L-R], added these two pictures to his Instagram profile on Wednesday. In his feed, he wrote: ‘Look like I’m going to school I can teach u n****a somethin’
Public records show Williams has had many run-ins with the law, including at least 11 felony arrests for charges like cocaine possession, weapons possession, domestic violence and aggravated assault with a firearm.
In 2014, he was accused of holding a gun to his girlfriend’s head.
However, it does not appear he ever served jail time for his slew of charges. He is currently on probation for grand theft auto, and records show he violated his probation in December 2016 when he was caught with a firearm.
‘I appreciate and love all of you and I believe in you all; do not let your depression make you, do not let your body define your soul, let your soul define your body. Your mind is limitless … you are worth more than you can believe.’ – XXXTentacion
Williams was arraigned Thursday and held without bond
According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, XXXTentacion, an up-and-coming rapper with a large following on the music platform Soundcloud. XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was leaving a Deerfield Beach, Florida motorcycle dealership in his BMW sports car on Monday when he was approached by two men who shot him to death.
Police believe the murder was a robbery-gone-wrong, since the two men made off with a Louis Vuitton bag. Onfroy’s lawyer also said his client had withdrawn a large sum before visiting the dealership, possibly to purchase a motorcycle.
The alleged shooter, Dedrick D. Williams, 22, is in police custody, it’s unclear if cops are still looking for a second suspect.
Related: Rapper XXXTentacion shot, killed outside bike shop in Florida – Robbery OR was he targeted?
A parade of mourners on Tuesday visited the spot outside the Riva Motorsports where the rapper was gunnned down.
They placed candles, flowers and teddy bears on the sidewalk near the spot. Over 100 yards of the sidewalk was decorated with chalk art including messages of sympathy and loss such as ‘Feel for you XXX’ and ‘4evr Young’.
Myles O’Hara, 17, and Aaron Gavin, 20, sat on the curb, solemnly staring at the ground, mostly ignoring the people who moved past. They said they admired XXXTentacion because he was a local kid who rose from rough circumstances and was making a positive contribution.
Ironically, the suspect in custody, Dedrick Williams, is a follower of the man he killed, TMZ reports.
Mourners place set up a memorial the site where XXXTentacion was shot on Monday afternoon
Fans memorialize the late rapper as mourners showed up in numbers to the site where he was murdered on Tuesday, decorating the sidewalk with chalk messages in remembrance of XXXTentacion
‘He had some legal allegations before, but the last year he had only been a positive influence on people’s lives, making hit Billboard songs,’ O’Hara said.
‘He has been a kind person. You could look at his face and smile and he was just a normal kid like us … His style is almost hard to explain. He had an angry tone. He meant everything he said, even the most simplistic words.
It just came off his tongue like nothing. He was speaking his mind.’
Police inspect the rapper’s vehicle after he was fatally shot leaving a Palm Beach, Fla., motorcycle dealership in his BMW sports car on Monday. Williams and another man reportedly, approached his vehicle and shot him to death.
Gavin said unlike other rappers whose songs emphasize buying expensive merchandise, XXXTentacion rapped about his emotions.
‘X talked about how he felt instead of materialistic things like owning this car, this car, this house, this house,’ Gavin said.
In Los Angeles, hundreds of fans turned Melrose Avenue into a melting pot celebrating and mourning of XXXTentacion late Tuesday night.
In an impromptu memorial outside a Hollywood bike shop, fans filling the street and dancing on rooftops shouted along with his songs beneath a cloud of pot smoke.
A big painted sign in the shop window read RIP XXX followed by hearts.
Police closed off the street and let the party grow to nearly 500 people before calling for the crowd to clear out.
XXX was a rising star. He debuted an album at No. 1 album in March with his sophomore effort ‘?″ and had a top 10 hit with ‘Sad!’ but was facing trial on charges that he beat up his pregnant girlfriend.
Fans, many refusing to accept that their favourite rap artiste is dead, join members of the community at the vigil for XXXTentacion in Deerfield Beach, Fla, June 19, 2018
His brief career was marked by controversy. In 2016, he was arrested on charges including home invasion for a 2015 incident, and less than a month later was jailed on charges that he attacked his girlfriend, who was pregnant at the time. Later, he faced more charges including witness tampering.
He seemed to have foreshadowed his own death posting a video on social media, he said: ‘If worse things come to worse, I (expletive) die a tragic death or some (expletive), and I’m not able to see out my dreams, I at least want to know that the kids perceive my message and were able to make something of themselves.’
He continued later: ‘I appreciate and love all of you and I believe in you all; do not let your depression make you, do not let your body define your soul, let your soul define your body. Your mind is limitless … you are worth more than you can believe.’
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