The man who was accused of killing TakeOff in Houston last year has officially been charged with murder.
On Thursday, May 25, Patrick Xavier Clark was formally indicted by a grand jury for the murder of the Migos rapper, born Kirsnick Khari Ball. The indictment comes down just six months after a shooting broke out in front of the 810 Billiards and Bowling Alley in Downtown Houston. While there was gunfire from other shooters at the scene, authorities believe Clark was the one who fired the deadly shots in Take's direction, which hit the artist in the head and torso. He was only 28 when he passed away.
"Today’s action by the grand jury is not unexpected," Clark's defense attorneys said. "We would ask people to remember that getting an indictment requires meeting a very, very minimal standard of proof. When we get inside a courtroom and in front of a jury, where we will be able to put on our evidence and cross-examine the state’s witnesses— where the standard of proof is guilt beyond a reasonable doubt— we expect the jury will come back with a verdict of not guilty."
Police determined that Clark was the only shooter who could've struck TakeOff based on video footage that shows the position he was standing in at the time of the shooting. According to KHOU, Clark was seen firing multiple shots at Take while he had a bottle of wine in his other hand. He ditched the bottle before he fled the scene, but police were able to match his fingerprints to the bottle. After the rapper was laid to rest in Atlanta, police arrested Clark after they found him trying to flee the country with an expedited passport and wads of cash.
Clark made bond after his defense attorney argued that his family couldn't afford the original $2 million bond. Once it was reduced to $1 million, Clark posted his bail and was released from jail.