Rapper Pop Smoke was shot and killed by a 15-year-old boy who targeted the rising rap star for his diamond-studded Rolex watch, according to authorities.
The rapper, real name Bashar Jackson, was killed when four suspects robbed him during a home invasion at his rented Hollywood Hills AirBNB mansion in February, 2020.
New details about the home invasion emerged during a preliminary hearing for 20-year-old Corey Walker, the sole adult suspect in the case.
Testifying in court on Friday, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Carlos Camacho claimed the four defendants specifically targeted Pop Smoke for the custom jewelry he wore in social media posts that night.
Walker claimed the youngest of the suspects, a 15-year-old boy, was the one who pulled the trigger and snatched Pop’s Cuban link chain and Rolex watch – which he later sold for $2,000.
He said Pop was also kicked by one of the suspects after he was fatally shot.
Citing a recorded jail conversation between the teen and his cellmate last year, Camacho told the court: “He admitted that he shot the victim three times with a Beretta nine.”
“They got into a fight, and he shot him three times. He said he shot him on the back [sic].”
Camacho said the group wore ski masks and gloves, and used a police scanner to pull off the home invasion.
The suspects entered the house through a second story balcony while the 20-yar-old rapper (pictured) was in the shower. One of the suspects put a gun to the forehead of a woman who was in the room.
“He said that when the individuals got inside, the suspects confronted (Pop Smoke), who was in the shower naked,” the detective stated.
The cop claimed the rapper initially complied with their demands to hand over his jewelry, but the MC then “rushed” the suspects, who “pistol whipped” him before the 15 year old shot him.
During the hearing, Walker’s attorney, Christopher Darden, insisted his client simply served as the getaway driver, and didn’t even enter the house. He claims Walker warned the younger members of the robbing crew not to shoot anyone.
“He’s clearly not an aider and abettor of premeditated murder,” said Darden. “At most, he’s a principal in a robbery. He’s a driver. He is outside.”
Prosecutors pushed back by accusing Walker of scouting out the house, knowing full well his co-defendants were planning to rob Pop at gunpoint, actions which showed a “reckless indifference to human life,” reports the New York Daily News.
Criminals often use juvenile offenders to commit robberies because they typically receive lighter prison sentences.
Judge H. Clay Jacke II shut down Darden’s request for a dismissal of the murder charges, and declared there was “sufficient cause” to send Walker to trial.
His next hearing is set for June 3.
