North Carolina rapper Jonathan ‘DaBaby‘ Kirk is the subject of controversy on social media, and it all relates to the infamous 2018 Walmart shooting that, essentially, catapulted his music career.
New footage raises questions about self-defence claim
Kirk was in a Walmart supermarket in his hometown, on 5 November 2018, with his former partner and current baby momma, Mariah Osborne, and his two children.
The couple was shopping for winter clothing and, bear in mind, at the time, DaBaby was buzzing from SoundCloud releases, months away from his big break.
Enter Jaylin Craig and Henry Douglas, two admirers of the up-and-coming rapper who, according to police reports seen by Rolling Stone, had just knocked off from work and were at the supermarket to pick up undergarments.
The last thing they had expected, Douglas later informed Huntersville police, was bumping into DaBaby, and at first, it took a few awkward glares to make out the rapper.
These stares would later spell Craig’s fate, according to DaBaby, who had caught sight of two suspicious-looking males taking a particular interest in him.
In his mind, or at least this is what police were told, Craig and Douglas were on the verge of threatening his life. Perhaps, the men were prepared to take advantage of the fact that Kirk who, at the time, was 26 years old, was in the company of minors and a defenceless woman?
This is a crucial part of the narrative Kirk used to substantiate his claim that shooting Craig was an act of self-defence.
“They’re staring at me like they recognize me; like they was about to come pull a gun out, What I’m hearing from it, they see me with my girl and my kids and [think], ‘This is a perfect opportunity to do something to him.’ … They’re trying to get me to provoke them so they could pull a gun out,” the rapper told detectives at the time.
Footage from the supermarket, along with witness statements who recalled seeing Craig with a firearm lodged in his waist, supported Kirk’s assertion that he and his family were facing imminent danger and, to protect himself and his children, he shot and killed Craig.
Homicide was stricken off the roll and, instead, DaBaby was found guilty of carrying a concealed weapon and sentenced to 12 months’ unsupervised probation and a suspended 30-day jail term.
Watch: DaBaby Walmart shooting – Murder or self-defence?
He was basically let off scot-free and now, new footage released in a Rolling Stone exclusive written by Cheyenne Roundtree has introduced a spanner to DaBaby’s self-defence claim.
The footage shows Craig, dressed in black, standing in front of an annoyed and highly paranoid DaBaby, moments before the Rockstar rapper launches an attack on Douglas, who is seen stepping away from the confrontation.
The CCTV footage catches Craig brandishing what appears to be a firearm but he doesn’t point it at DaBaby. Instead, he shoves it back on his waist and proceeds to break up the fight.
Another angle shows Osborne running up to Craig, socking him in the face, supposedly for brandishing the firearm in the first place. Then, DaBaby breaks free from Douglas’ grasp and, moving away from the two men, he pulls out his firearm and shoots Craig.
The bullet struck the Huntersville native on the side and he was declared dead on the scene by paramedics a short while later.
Craig’s family remains adamant that DaBaby, who made headlines last week for shooting a man in his property,, got away with murder, and the new footage, which you can watch below, seems to, if anything, question the rapper’s self-defence claim: