Migos rapper Takeoff fatally shot in Houston at 28

Takeoff, the rapper from hip-hop trio Migos, was killed in a shooting in Houston in the early hours of Tuesday morning, authorities have confirmed. He was 28.

Police Chief Troy Finner held a press conference with Houston Mayor Sylvester on Tuesday afternoon to disclose the details gathered thus far.

The tragic incident occurred at a private party at 810 Billiards & Bowling in downtown Houston, where Takeoff and fellow Migos member Quavo were reportedly playing dice. Police responded shortly after 2:30 a.m. to reports of shots fired.

Takeoff was found dead on the third floor and appeared to have been shot in the head or neck. Quavo was not injured. Two other people were shot and taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries in their own vehicles.

Sgt. Michael Arrington said employees of the venue told officers at the scene that "an incident had occurred after the party had ended."

"There was a large group of people who gathered at the front door area just outside the building and it led to an argument where the shooting took place from the disagreement," Arrington said. "A lot of the people who were there fled the scene and did not stick around to give a statement."

Authorities are "looking for any information at this time," he added. "Any videos, any information… We're looking for anything to help us."

"Let me speak to a human element first before we do anything: I spoke to this young man's mother just an hour ago. Flew in here from out of town. I want everyone to understand the pain, the suffering of a mother. Very tough," Finner said. "And I told her as we stand with any victim of violence or any homicide victim, their family, we stand with them in this city and in this police department and everybody standing behind me."

A representative for Quality Control, Takeoff's music label, released a statement to EW. "It is with broken hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the loss of our beloved brother Kirsnick Khari Ball, known to the world as Takeoff," the statement reads. "Senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated. Please respect his family and friends as we all continue to process this monumental loss."

Takeoff and Quavo had only recently released Only Built for Infinity Links, their first album without Migos member Offset.

Takeoff was born Kirsnik Khari Ball in Lawrenceville, Ga., in 1994. He started rapping with Quavo, his uncle, and Offset, Quavo's cousin, in 2008. The trio would go on to release their first mixtape as Migos in 2011, titled Juug Season.

Migos' stardom got a jump-start in 2013 with the hit "Versace." Propelled by viral memes, their 2016 hit "Bad and Boujee" reached the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and the song's album Culture would mark the group's first No. 1 album. Other chart-busting tracks included "Stir Fry," "MotorSport," and "Walk It Talk It."

As Takeoff, Ball released one solo album, 2018's The Last Rocket.

[This article has been updated with information from a Houston Police Department press conference and a statement from music label Quality Control.]

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