Police Still Unsure Why Pop Smoke Was Fatally Shot

There have been no arrests made in Pop Smoke‘s murder as police continue to try to decipher if the incident was a random robbery or a targeted crime.

Originally, TMZ reported that police thought the 20-year-old died from a “targeted hit.” Now, Capt. Jonathan L. Tippet, the head of LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division, tells The New York Times there is conflicting evidence.  

Tippet said the homicide took place at 4:29 a.m. on February 19 on the 2000 block of Hercules Drive. An unknown number of suspects reportedly entered the residence and shot Smoke. He was later transported to a local hospital by the L.A. Fire Department, where he was pronounced dead.

There were other people in the house but he was the only one who was shot and killed. 

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Pop Smoke, also known as Bashar Jackson, had been posting pics on social media of stacks of cash prior to his death. Additionally, he received a gift bag, which he posted on Instagram revealing the address of the house he was renting. The theory is that his killers saw this online and were able to easily locate him. 

“It’s an angle we’re looking at,” Tippet told the New York Times. “It also extends the pool of people that would have known where he was at and could have targeted him for a variety of reasons.” 

Tippet also added, “There were a couple of items that were taken, but some of the things you would think would be taken weren’t even really looked for. So that’s why we’re not really saying that it was a robbery or that he was the intended target.”

Pop Smoke was reportedly in Los Angeles to promote his new mixtape, Meet the Woo 2, and was supposed to go on tour in March.