HOUSTON (AP) — The man accused of fatally shooting Migos rapper Takeoff outside a Houston bowling alley last year has been charged with murder, according to court documents.
Patrick Xavier Clark was released on $1 million bail when a grand jury in Houston indicted him Thursday.
Letitia Quinones-Hollins, one of Clark’s lawyers, said the charges were not unexpected.
“When we go into a courtroom and face a jury where we can present our evidence and question the state’s witnesses…we expect the jury to return a verdict of not guilty,” Quinones said. -Hollins said in a statement Thursday.
Takeoff was shot in the head and back as more than 30 people left a private party at the bowling alley around 2:30 am on November 1. Houston police said the gunfire followed a disagreement over a “lucrative” dice game outside the bowling alley, but that the 28-year-old rapper was not involved and was “an innocent bystander.”
Clark, 33, who has worked as a DJ and nightclub promoter, was arrested Dec. 1.
Authorities claim surveillance video showed Clark holding a wine bottle in one hand as he fired his gun. Fingerprints found on the bottle were later used to identify it. FBI sources had also pointed out that Clark was at the shooting, according to police.
Prosecutors alleged that Clark had attempted to flee the country prior to his arrest, searching online for information about using counterfeit airline tickets to obtain an expedited passport.
Quinones-Hollins denied that Clark tried to leave the country after the shooting.
Born Kirsnick Khari Ball, Takeoff was the youngest member of Migos, the Grammy-nominated rap trio from the Atlanta suburbs that also included his uncle Quavo and cousin Offset.
Clark’s next court hearing is scheduled for August 23.
___
Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: twitter.com/juanlozano70
