Pop Smoke was allegedly murdered by a 15-year-old shooter during a home invasion robbery last year.
According to the New York Daily News, LAPD Det. Carlos Camacho testified Friday (May 7) that the teenager was part of a group of intruders that wanted to steal the Brooklyn rapper’s Rolex. They stormed Pop Smoke’s rented mansion in the Hollywood Hills on Feb. 19, 2020 and tried to take his Cuban link chain, but only got away with the diamond-studded watch, which they later resold for $2,000.
The alleged shooter, the youngest of the four defendants, is now facing murder and robbery charges in the case. He allegedly admitted to shooting Pop Smoke during a recorded interview with a cellmate at a juvenile detention center last May.
“He admitted that he shot the victim three times with a Baretta 9 [mm.],” Camacho testified during a preliminary hearing for Corey Walker, 20, the sole adult suspect in the case.
During the recorded jail interview, the 15-year-old alleged shooter “admitted that they asked for the jewelry” and then had “a confrontation” with Pop Smoke, born Bashar Jackson, during the 4 a.m. home invasion. “They got into a fight, and he shot him three times,” Camacho said. “He said he shot him on the back.”
According to Camacho, Walker also confessed to his role in the fatal shooting during a separate secretly-recorded interview with a different informant placed in his cell following his July arrest.
“He said that when the individuals got inside, the suspects confronted [Pop Smoke], who was in the shower naked,” Camacho testified.
Walker allegedly said the intruders demanded Pop Smoke’s jewelry and even said “Thank you” when it appeared he was complying. At one point, Pop Smoke fought back and “rushed” the teens, who “pistol whipped” him before the 15-year-old suspect shot him in the chest.
Walker’s defense lawyer Christopher Darden made a motion to have Walker’s murder charge dismissed, claiming he never entered the house and even told the younger defendants not to shoot anybody. The judge denied Darden’s request and ruled there was “sufficient cause” to send Walker to trial.
On Thursday, Det. Christian Carrasco testified that a woman who was with Pop Smoke in the home recalled seeing a group of men enter through a second-story balcony accessible by a backyard staircase. “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.
“Two other individuals began to kick him,” added Carrasco, citing the woman’s testimony.
If convicted as charged, Walker could face the death penalty.