Houston police have made strides in the Takeoff murder investigation and on Friday, Chief Troy Finner unveiled a man by the name of Patrick Xavier Clark as the main suspect.
UPDATE: As reported by TMZ, Houston prosecutors are trying to get Clark’s bail set at $1 million (est. R17.5 million). If he does post bond, it’s said prosecutors want the judge to set strict release conditions on Clark, including harsh restrictions on who he can talk to, like Takeoff’s family, J Prince Jr and boxing star Shakur Stevenson, who was within inches of the Migos rapper when he was viciously gunned down.
See the original story below, including updates on Patrick Xavier Clark’s background.
Patrick Xavier Clark: Here’s what we know about Takeoff murder suspect
Takeoff, real name, Kirsnick Khari Ball, was viciously executed outside a popular bowling alley in downtown Houston, Texas, on 1 November 2022, and a month later, police believe they have the man responsible for pulling the trigger.
During a media briefing held on Friday afternoon, Chief Finner confirmed that Clark was taken into custody without a hassle the evening before.
Clark’s arrest came a day after 22-year-old Cameron Joshua was nabbed and charged in connection with the murder case. However, as reported by CBS News, Houston’s district attorney filed a charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon against Joshua, a decision which effectively ruled him out of any involvement in Takeoff’s murder.
It seems investigators working on the case could only prove that Joshua was within close proximity to the fatal shooting and unlawfully carrying a weapon. Nothing has surfaced thus far linking the 22-year-old to any of the gunshots that were fired that fateful evening.
“We believe Cameron Joshua has been appropriately charged in this case and we’re continuing our investigation into the death of Takeoff,” Harris County District Attorney prosecutor Matt Gilliam told the media.
While investigations into Takeoff’s murder continue, police are firm in their belief that the Migos rapper was the victim of a stray bullet that resulted from an argument over a dice game.
From what we understand, police are confident in the information they have on Clark and their case against the 33-year-old may be further boosted by hints from Joshua’s attorney Christopher Downey, who, when asked if his client was willing to strike a deal with prosecutors, teased that they’d “discuss that with the DA’s office if we decide to.”
“Right now, we’re charged with offenses and we’re not saying anything,” Downey said.
From what we could source from a surface-level background search, here is what we currently know about Patrick Xavier Clark:
- Clark is a DJ and event promoter, renowned in Houston as ‘DJ Pat’.
- He is closely linked to adult events that take place at The Flame, a popular venue situated at 11112 South Post Oak Rd.
- It’s very possible Clark was arrested either before or at the venue’s ‘Babyoil Wrestling’ event on Thursday, 1 December 2022.
- Clark was a promoter for Trapyboy Freddy, a Dallas rapper that, according to CNN, was arrested back in August 2022 on federal gun possession charges. It’s said police also seized a tiger cub at the rapper’s house.
Here is a video we found of Clark talking to High Thoughts TV about an alleged altercation between Atlanta rapper T.I and his old foe, Lil Flip.