Rapper Takeoff’s cause of death has been determined following his passing on Tuesday, November 1.
The 28-year-old member of the Migos trio’s death was ruled a homicide by the Harris County Medical Examiner, according to documents obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, November 2.
The examiner pointed to “penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm” as the official cause of death, after the musician was shot in Houston, Texas, one day prior.
News broke on Tuesday that the Georgia native (real name Kirshnik Khari Ball) died at a bowling alley in Houston during the early hours of the day.
The Houston Police Department responded to a call about a shooting at 2:40 a.m., according to TMZ, which was just minutes after Takeoff was reportedly playing dice with his Migos cofounder Quavo. (Quavo, 31, is Takeoff’s uncle, while the third band member, Offset, is his cousin.)
Three people were shot during the altercation, with HPD tweeting on Tuesday that “2 other victims taken in private vehicles to hospitals.” The police didn’t reveal which person was dead on scene, noting that they were waiting until “his family is notified & ID verified by Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.”
A representative for the Texas department later confirmed Takeoff’s identity to multiple outlets. Houston Sergeant Michael Arrington announced during a Tuesday press conference that the two other victims, a 23-year-old male and a 24-year-old female, are “going to be OK.”
News of Takeoff’s passing spread quickly throughout the entertainment world and many celebrities took to social media to mourn the loss.
“I got the best memories of all of us seeing the world together and bringing light to every city we touch,” Drake shared via Instagram alongside a photo of him and Takeoff on stage together. “That’s what I’ll focus on for now 😔 rest easy space man Take 🚀.”
Teyana Taylor couldn’t believe the news, writing via Instagram, “Please tell me this is just a bad dream pleaseeeeeeee. I don’t want to believe this lil bro please.”
Khloé Kardashian, meanwhile, called for ending gun violence as she paid tribute to the “Last Memory” rapper. “This is so sad. Wow! 💔💔 over what??” the Kardashians star, 38, tweeted on Tuesday. “May God cover everyone who is in pain. These senseless acts have got to end. So so sad.”
Quavo and Offset, who was not at the bowling alley when the shots were fired, have yet to speak out about Takeoff’s untimely death. The trio, who formed Migos in 2008, have released four albums since their start, including 2021’s Culture III.
Earlier this year, however, there appeared to be tension in the group which resulted in Takeoff and Quavo working on projects without Offset, 30. The twosome dropped “Us vs. Them” in May, but Cardi B’s husband was not on the track.
In October, Takeoff released an album titled Only Built for Infinity Links with his uncle. The music video for their latest single, “Messy,” dropped just hours before he was killed.
