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Florida man charged with murder in XXXTentacion’s killing, police say

Posted at 4:06 PM, Jun 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-21 16:06:13-04

A 22-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murder in the fatal Broward County, Florida, shooting of rapper XXXTentacion, police said Thursday.

Authorities arrested Dedrick Williams of Pompano Beach on Wednesday evening and charged him with first-degree murder.

Though Williams’ inmate record describes the charge as “murder dangerous depraved (without) premeditation,” the arrest warrant accused Williams of killing the rapper “from a premeditated design.”

He was also charged with a probation violation and operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license.

At the time of his arrest, Williams was on probation until 2021 for grand theft motor vehicle, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.

Williams appeared in court Thursday afternoon, where a judge ordered him held without bond. He is scheduled to be back in court Monday for the probation violation.

Killed on the rise

Broward police said XXXTentacion was killed Monday during an apparent robbery.

The 20-year-old rapper was leaving a motorsports store about 4 p.m. when two men in a dark SUV shot him, said Keyla Concepción, Broward Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman. Police were looking for two men in connection with the shooting, she initially said.

XXXTentacion was a Plantation, Florida, native, who rocketed to fame after his song, “Look at Me,” went viral on social media and SoundCloud in 2016.

He went on to be featured in XXL magazine’s 2017 Freshman Class alongside other up-and-coming artists. His latest album “?” premiered at No. 1 when it was released in March, according to Billboard.

Several rappers took to social media to mourn the rising rapper’s death.

“Rest in peace I never told you how much you inspired me when you were here thank you for existing,” Kanye West tweeted.

Big Sean added, “I didn’t know him personally but I respect how passionate he was about his music and message. Nobody deserves this kind of ending. gone too soon, damn! RIP.”