Florida rapper Julio Foolio, whose real name was Charles Jones, was shot and killed during his birthday celebrations in a hotel parking lot in Tampa, Florida. According to his lawyer, the 26-year-old musician was “reportedly ambushed” in the hotel parking lot early on Sunday morning.
Police reported that four people were hit by gunfire in the incident, with one person, believed to be Foolio, dying from their injuries. The three other victims were taken to the hospital and were reported to be in stable condition.
Foolio had been forced to relocate his birthday celebrations after being asked by authorities to leave an Airbnb property due to exceeding occupancy limits. The rapper had been posting about the celebrations on his Instagram account, writing that police had “shut us down.”
Foolio, who had nearly a million monthly listeners on Spotify, had been open about his gang affiliations, according to local media reports. In an Instagram post from April, he had written that recent months had been “tragic” due to “multiple attempts” on his life.
Police have urged the public to provide any information that may help their investigation into the shooting. The incident marks a tragic end to the rapper’s birthday celebrations and is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by those involved in gang-related activities.
