Rapper Pop Smoke was barely getting his career started when his life was sadly taken.
The promising young rapper was well on his way to Billboard domination with major co-signs, big features and several buzz-worthy hits. Born Bashar Barakah Jackson, the rapper was only 20 years old when he lost his life in a senseless robbery in early 2020. Now the man responsible for his passing is coming forward, and sadly he is also a young man whose future is now lost as well due to his crimes.
Rapper Pop Smoke was visiting Los Angeles, CA in February 2020 when several people broke into his Airbnb and robbed him, killing him in the process. The house was owned by The Real Housewives star Teddi Mellencamp and her husband, Edwin Arroyave. The five men broke in at around 4:30 am, during which time Pop was said to be in the shower. After holding a woman at gunpoint, a scuffle broke out, and the men fired at Jackson three times.
By July of 2020, three adult men and two minors were arrested in connection to the robbery and murder of Rapper Pop Smoke. By May of 2021, one of the minors confessed to being the gunman. He claimed to have pistol-whipped Jackson before shooting him and making off with a Rolex that he later sold for $2k. He was only 15 years old at the time.
Now 18, today, the public was updated on the shooter and his sentencing. Because he was under 16 at the time of the incident, he is still in a juvenile detention facility where he will be held until he is 25 years old.
On Friday, the L.A. County Superior Court Judge J. Christopher Smith told the boy and one of his co-defendants, “That man lost his life over no good reason. … You have no right to take somebody’s life. You have no right to take somebody’s property.”
It is unclear if the 18-year-old will have additional jail time after 25. The others who were arrested with him have all been charged with murder and remain behind bars as well.
RIP Pop Smoke
