Suspect arrested in rapper XXXTentacion's shooting death

A 22-year-old suspect has been arrested and charged with murder days after the killing of rising rap star XXXTentacion, who was fatally shot in his luxury BMW electric car as he left an upscale motorcycle dealership in Florida.

In this Tuesday, June 19, 2018, photo, fans and mourners of rap singer XXXTentacion gather for a memorial outside Riva Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, Fla., where the troubled rapper-singer was killed the day before. The 20-year-old rising star, whose real name is Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, was shot outside the motorcycle dealership on Monday, June 18, when two armed suspects approached him, authorities said. (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Dedrick Devonshay Williams of Pompano Beach was arrested shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday after a traffic stop, the Broward Sheriff's Office said a statement Thursday. Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, 20, who went by the stage name pronounced "Ex Ex Ex ten-ta-see-YAWN," was gunned down Monday, bringing a violent end to a brief music career that was marked by controversy and arrests.

Authorities said the rapper was ambushed by two suspects. They did not give a motive in announcing Williams' arrest but had previously said the shooting was an apparent robbery attempt.

After Williams' arrest, Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright said homicide detectives also were seeking additional suspects.

In this Tuesday, June 19, 2018, photo, fans and mourners of rap singer XXXTentacion pause by a memorial, outside Riva Motorsports in Deerfield Beach, Fla., where the troubled rapper-singer was killed the day before. The 20-year-old rising star, whose real name is Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, was shot outside the motorcycle dealership on Monday, June 18, when two armed suspects approached him, authorities said. (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

An arrest report said Williams was alone in the silver 2004 Honda and driving without a license when he was spotted by an officer in Pompano Beach. He was taken into custody on an active felony warrant.

XXXTentacion's attorney, David Bogenschutz, said Tuesday that investigators told him the rapper had visited a bank shortly before the shooting and possibly withdrew cash to buy a motorcycle at Riva Motorsports in Deerfield Beach.

Williams is charged with first-degree murder without premeditation, a probation violation and for not having a valid driver's license. He appeared before Broward County Judge Kim Theresa Mollica via video Thursday afternoon. He wore an orange jumpsuit and did not speak during the minutes-long hearing and he was represented by a public defender.

In this Tuesday, June 19, 2018 photo, fans and community members gather at the vigil for rap singer XXXTentacion in Deerfield Beach, Fla., near the site where the troubled rapper-singer was killed the day before. The 20-year-old rising star, whose real name is Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, was shot outside the motorcycle dealership on Monday, June 18, when two armed suspects approached him, authorities said. (Tuesday, June 19, 2018,/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Mollica ordered Williams to be held without bond. Williams also was scheduled to appear Monday before a different judge regarding the probation violation charge that stems from a 2014 grand theft auto case.

Court records show Williams has been charged previously with several felonies, including grand theft auto, domestic violence, cocaine possession and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. It does not appear, however, that he has ever done prison time for these charges and some of them were dropped. Williams does not appear in the Florida Department of Corrections offender database, but was on probation for the auto theft conviction.

In this Tuesday, June 19, 2018 photo, fans and community members gather at the vigil for rap singer XXXTentacion in Deerfield Beach, Fla., near the site where the troubled rapper-singer was killed the day before. The 20-year-old rising star, whose real name is Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, was shot outside the motorcycle dealership on Monday, June 18, when two armed suspects approached him, authorities said. (Tuesday, June 19, 2018,/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Nobody responded at Williams' home, a rental bungalow in a modest neighborhood of Pompano Beach. Debris littered the yard in front and back along with the aftermath of some automotive work, with a tarp, oil and tools.

Neighbors, many of whom did not want to be quoted, said they knew Williams as a tattoo artist. They complained of noise from his riding of all-terrain vehicles but said they didn't otherwise have any trouble with the family that lived at the home.

Richard Slappy, 58, an electrician who lives a few houses down and across the street, said a woman and children also lived there.

"I've seen him riding them 4-wheelers," Slappy said. "I was glad I didn't stay next to him because there was all that 4-wheeler noise going on down there."

This photo provided by Broward Sheriff's Office shows Dedrick Devonshay Williams. The Broward Sheriff's Office said in a news release sent Thursday, June 21, 2018, that Dedrick Devonshay Williams was arrested shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday n the shooting death of rapper XXXTentacion. (Broward Sheriff's Office via AP)

XXXTentacion, who sported dreadlocks and facial tattoos, was a rising star. He notched a No. 1 album in March with his sophomore effort "?''and had a top 10 hit with "Sad!"

But he also generated controversy. In 2016, he was arrested on charges including home invasion for a 2015 incident, and less than a month later was jailed on charges that he attacked his girlfriend, who was pregnant at the time. Later, he faced more charges including witness tampering.

In a recent interview with the Miami New Times, XXXTentacion described his upbringing, which included seeing his mother infrequently and being raised by friends, family and baby-sitters. His mother bought him clothes, phones and other gifts. He said he used violence so she would engage with him.

In one video on social media, he said: "If worse things come to worse, I (expletive) die a tragic death or some (expletive), and I'm not able to see out my dreams, I at least want to know that the kids perceive my message and were able to make something of themselves."

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A man who crashed a stolen police vehicle, survived gunfire from 11 police officers and then drove off and crashed another police cruiser — all while wearing handcuffs in a hospital gown — is in no mental capacity to appear before a judge right now, his lawyer said Friday.

The chaotic chain of events involving at least five law enforcement agencies began when Gary Porter, already wanted on a felony theft warrant, was discovered passed out in a chicken coop on Monday, arrested and taken to a hospital for evaluation, police said.

Paris Police Chief Mike Dailey then took him to jail, and had stepped out of the pickup truck to escort him inside when Porter somehow slipped his handcuffs from behind his back, moved into the driver's seat and drove off. The chief jumped onto the truck's running board to try to stop him, but was thrown to the ground, authorities said.

A chase ensued, joined by officers from Norway, Oxford and Paris, sheriff’s deputies and state police in a mostly rural part of Maine about 48 miles from Portland, police said. They eventually deployed spike mats that blew the tires and caused Porter to crash into a ditch.

A bystander’s video captured at least part of the gunfire at that point: With his hands still in cuffs, Porter circles around the truck and jumps into another police vehicle in full view of officers. Shots ring out as he climbs into the second cruiser with his back to police and takes off again. The video shows him swerving and driving away.

Authorities said he crashed again a short distance from there. By the end, 11 officers ultimately fired their weapons, and Porter was struck once by an officer's bullet. Police didn't say that any officers were hit.

Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss said initially, without providing more detail, that “officers confronted Porter and gunfire was exchanged.” That was in a statement on behalf of all of the law enforcement departments involved.

But the departments involved didn't release key details of the confrontation, including whether Porter obtained a weapon or fired it. They also didn't information about the extent of injuries. The Office of the Maine Attorney General said Friday that Porter was shot, treated and released from a hospital.

Porter’s initial court appearance on two counts of theft, assault on a police officer, escaping custody, eluding police and violation of bail was set for Wednesday, by video conference from the Cumberland County Jail, but his defense said the medication he was given made him mumble and unable to keep his eyes open. He had another opportunity on Friday, but his attorney Justin Leary, said he still wasn't fit to go before a judge.

“I don’t think he’s mentally equipped right now to go forward,” Leary said. A mental examination was requested and Porter was scheduled to return to court on May 15.

The bystander who recorded the video of the roadside confrontation in Paris, Linda Marie Mercer, said she had arrived on the scene to see a truck in the ditch and numerous police vehicles alongside it. She said she heard gunfire and saw officers shooting into the truck. She thought the person in the truck might have been killed — the officers appeared to relax.

But the video shows what happened next: Porter, still cuffed and in a white hospital gown, ignored shouts of “put your hands up!” and climbed into an SUV that had been left with its driver's door wide open. More bullets flew as he drove away.

Eleven officers are on administrative leave following the shooting, authorities said. It was the largest number of police officers to discharge their guns in a single incident in recent memory in the state, said Brian MacMaster, a long-time investigator for the attorney general’s office, who’s now retired after a career that began in 1969.

It’s standard practice for officers to be placed on administrative leave after using deadly force in Maine. Officers are generally off duty for about a month before being evaluated and allowed to return, MacMaster said.

In this image taken from video, law enforcement personnel converge on a suspect, who was arrested earlier in the day and then stole a police vehicle and crashing it, before exchanging gunfire with the suspect who then stole a second police vehicle, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Paris, Maine. The Office of the Maine Attorney General said that the suspect Gary Porter was shot, treated and released from a hospital, before making initial court appearance via video on Friday, May 10, 2024, after his first court appearance was postponed because medication administered at the Cumberland County Jail made him sleepy. (Linda Marie Mercer via AP)