HOUSTON (AP) – A 33-year-old man was arrested on a murder charge in the shooting of rapper Takeoff, who police on Friday said was an “innocent bystander” when he was struck by gunfire outside a Houston bowling alley.
Patrick Xavier Clark was taken into custody peacefully on Thursday night, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said. Clark’s arrest came one day after another man was charged in connection with the November 1 shooting, which authorities said followed a dispute over a dice game and wounded two other people.
Clark was being held in jail on Friday awaiting a bond hearing. Court records do not list an attorney who could speak for him, but indicate he was arrested as he was preparing to leave the country for Mexico.
Police Sergeant Michael Burrow said during a Friday news conference that the gunfire followed a disagreement over a “lucrative” game of dice, but that Takeoff was not involved and was “an innocent bystander”. Finner said police do not know whether Clark was invited to the party or if he knew Takeoff.
On Wednesday, authorities announced the arrest of Cameron Joshua in connection to the shooting. Joshua was charged with illegally having a gun at the time Takeoff was shot, but prosecutors said the 22-year-old is not believed to have fired the weapon.
Christopher Downey, Joshua’s attorney, told reporters that he has not seen anything to suggest that his client was involved in Takeoff’s killing.
Prosecutors on Friday asked a court to set Clark’s bond at USD1 million, arguing he is a flight risk. After Takeoff’s shooting, Clark applied for an expedited passport by submitting the itinerary for an “imminent” flight to Mexico, according to court records.
