Court hearing reveals new details about Pop Smoke’s tragic death
A preliminary hearing for one of the four suspects charged in Pop’s death was held on Thursday (May 6).
Over a year after Pop Smoke’s shooting death, new details have emerged about the events surrounding his tragic passing. On Thursday (May 6), a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department testified at the preliminary hearing for Corey Walker, one of the four suspects charged in the rapper’s death.
Taking the witness stand, Det. Christian Carrasco said authorities believe Pop, born Bashar Jackson, was taking a shower at his Hollywood Hills Airbnb when the group of masked intruders made their way into the home’s second-story balcony. One man allegedly carried a semiautomatic firearm and held a woman at the house at gunpoint.
“Shut the fuck up. Do you want to die?” the suspect allegedly yelled at the woman while the other men stormed into the bedroom’s adjoining bathroom.
The woman told police that Pop was shot in the torso by the intruders around 4 a.m. local time.
“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,” the detective said, adding that two of the suspects “began to kick” Pop after shooting him.
According to the woman, Pop then got up and ran downstairs.
“She hears two more pops,” the detective said. “She follows Mr. Jackson, sees him on the ground and screams for Michael [Durodola] to call 911.”
The woman also told police the men stole a “large gold watch” and other pieces of jewelry from Pop before fleeing the scene.
According to the New York Daily News, Pop’s mother was in the courtroom during the hearing and was visibly upset.
On Thursday, another LAPD detective also testified that the license plate of the car seen pulling up to Pop’s house was traced back to Walker. The detective, Frank Flores, claimed Walker was stopped while driving the car for an unrelated matter before the night of Pop’s death.
Walker, the only adult suspect in the case, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and robbery last year. His preliminary hearing is expected to continue today (May 7) and will determine whether or not the case proceeds to trial.
The other three suspects in the case were all juveniles at the time of Pop’s death, the judge previously ruled, and are also charged with murder and robbery. If convicted, Walker could face the death penalty.