Yesterday, (June 21), it was reported the alleged murderer of XXXTentacion had been detained by police and was in custody.
The man arrested was named as 22-year-old Dedrick D. Williams.
The Broward’s Country Sheriff’s Department announced on Thursday, Williams was arrested for allegedly fatally shooting XXXTentacion in a botched armed robbery.
Dispatch audio initially claimed the incident was a ‘possible drive-by shooting and the alleged shooters exited the scene in a black Dodge Journey’. However, the car was later confirmed to be a black Dodge Journey, with dark tint and black wheels.
Following the incident, the Broward County Fire Department said the rapper was rushed to hospital. Other witnesses, who were at the scene, claim to have heard multiple shots fired, report TMZ.
Onfroy was said to have been shot as he was leaving a motorcycle shop in South Florida. While he was leaving the dealership, it’s reported an unidentified gunman, now believed to be Williams, approached his vehicle and shot him.
Williams is, allegedly, also in violation of his probation for a previous grand theft charge, and is being held without bail.
Just two days after the shooting, Williams posted a threatening message on Facebook, warning people not to make him angry.
Alongside a photo of himself, he wrote:
Don’t piss me off u will never know wats next [sic]
Williams, who’s been quite active on social media, appears to be a dad of two and worked as a tattoo artist under the name ‘Tattooman Chucky’.
He was arrested on Tuesday night, (June 19) in Pompano Beach, South Florida according to reports.
A vigil was held for XXXTentacion, real name Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, on Wednesday (June 20), in South Florida.
During the vigil, the rapper’s mother told friends and family she’d received notice from the police they’d made the arrest:
In a video from the vigil, posted on Instagram by Streetwatcherz, a women, who’s apparently Onfroy’s mother, can be heard saying:
I just got the text just now, from one of the detectives […] they just arrested them, they got them.
According to the dispatch call, the suspects were described as two black males in hoodies, with the shooter wearing a red mask.
It’s currently unclear whether a second suspect is being pursued following Williams’ arrest.
Prior to his death, XXXTentacion – who’s had a string of hits, despite being in the early stages of his career – was facing a litany of felony charges, including witness tampering.
In December, the Florida rapper was charged with 15 felony counts in connection to a 2016 domestic abuse case. He was also facing trial for domestic violence against his pregnant girlfriend.
Onfroy was under house arrest but the judge recently lifted it so he could go on tour.
In the time since his death, sales of XXXTentacion’s music have risen by over 1,000 per cent.
The day after the shooting, his track SAD! amassed 10.4 million streams, according to Pitchfork, beating the global record for the most Spotify streams in a single day – a record previously held by Taylor Swift, which was 10.1 million for Look What You Made Me Do.
Our thoughts continue to go out to the family and friends of Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy.
Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.