According to new testimony from a detective involved in the case, Pop, born Bashar Jackson, was fatally shot by a 15-year-old who was one of the five people arrested in connection with the rapper’s slaying, which occurred following a home invasion, reports New York Daily News.
On Friday (May 7), LAPD Det. Carlos Camacho testified during a preliminary hearing for suspect, Corey Walker, 20, that the unnamed 15-year-old male defendant admitted to pulling the trigger during a recorded interview with a cellmate last May at a juvenile detention center. “[The teen] admitted that he shot the victim three times with a Baretta 9 [mm.],” Camacho told the court.
“They got into a fight, and he shot him three times,” Camacho said of the conversation that the 15-year-old boy had. “He said he shot him on the back. He said that when the individuals got inside, the suspects confronted [Pop Smoke], who was in the shower naked.”
Camacho also testified that Walker admitted his role in the slaying to an informant who was placed in his cell following his July 2020 arrest as well. “He said that when the individuals got inside, the suspects confronted [Pop Smoke], who was in the shower naked,” Camacho testified.
Walker was recorded telling the informant they wore ski masks and commanded the rapper to take off his jewelry. Pop reportedly initially started to comply, to which the intruders told him “Thank you.” However, according to Walker, the rapper then fought back. He rushed robbers but was pistol whipped before being shot by the 15-year-old male. The robbers and suspected killer were only able to make off with one of Pop’s expensive watches, which they later sold for $2,000, investigators said.
During the hearing, Walker’s defense attorney, Christopher Darden, argued for murder charges against his client to be dropped, saying Walker only drove the car to the home that Pop was killed in and was not directly involved with the robbery or killing. Judge H. Clay Jacke II denied Darden’s request and Walker pleaded not guilty. Walker is due back in court for rearrangement on June 3.
The new testimony from Det. Camacho aligns with new details revealed during testimony on Thursday (May 6), from LAPD detective Christian Carrasco. He relayed statements from a woman who was in an adjacent room at the home at the time of the shooting. The woman claims the intruders breached the home through a second-floor balcony, put a gun to her head and told her “Shut the fuck up. Do you want to die?”
“She heard a struggle coming from the shower area and heard Mr. Jackson screaming,” Det. Carrasco said. “Mr. Jackson ran out of the bathroom and then she heard a loud pop and [heard] Mr. Jackson fall to the ground.” Carrasco also testified the woman said two of the intruders kicked Pop after he was shot.
