On Monday, rapper XXXTentacion was shot and killed in his car while leaving RIVA Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The first suspect, 22-year-old Dedrick D. Williams, a local tattoo artist, has been taken into custody for the murder, and a detective's sworn affidavit obtained by the New York Times has revealed new details about the rapper's murder and how police determined Williams was the main suspect.
According to Rolling Stone, Detective John Curcio discussed video surveillance evidence in the affidavit. He stated that the two men followed XXXTentacion into the dealership in an SUV. One man, wearing a white tank top and orange sandals, exited the car and purchased a mask from the parts department in cash. The two men then moved the SUV to the dealership's exit, blocking it. When XXXTentacion tried to leave, the men stepped out of the vehicle, armed, and "demanded property." "After a brief struggle, the victim is shot," Curcio said.
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Upon studying the surveillance footage, police found pictures of Williams wearing the same distinct orange sandals on Instagram. Witnesses at the dealership also identified Williams from the images.
Williams was charged with murder without premeditation, violation of probation, and driving without a valid license — on top of the five-year probation he was serving for grand theft auto, and his previous temporary injunction for domestic violence.
The public reaction to XXXTentacion's, real name Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, murder has been nuanced, since the 20-year-old rapper had been on the receiving end of serious allegations of physical and sexual abuse from his ex-girlfriend Geneva Ayala.
Ayala reacted to his death on Twitter, saying she was "broken" by the news.
i know y’all don’t fuck w me, but this isn’t about me. just please stop tagging me in disrespectful threads and arguments. i honestly don’t care for any of the hype. i lost someone close to me. leave me alone.
— bloodsucca (@hisl0nelystar) June 19, 2018
"I honestly don’t care for any of the hype," she wrote. "I lost someone close to me. Leave me alone."
"It’s disgusting that people are speaking for me," she added. "I don’t care if no one cared about me however many months ago, i didn’t lose my life. He did. It’s permanent. I’m still here. Like how do you think that makes me feel? Everyone expecting me to be relieved or happy?! No, i’m broken."
it’s disgusting that people are speaking for me. i don’t care if no one cared about me however many months ago, i didn’t lose my life. he did. it’s permanent. i’m still here. like how do you think that makes me feel? everyone expecting me to be relieved or happy?! no, i’m broken.
— bloodsucca (@hisl0nelystar) June 19, 2018
Ayala's GoFundMe, which she set up to raise money for a procedure to repair nerve damage and a fracture near her eye as a result of the alleged abuse, has raised almost $10,000 since Onfroy's death.