Pop Smoke found killed in Hollywood Hills invasion

An emergency call from the U.S. East Coast alerted police early on the morning of February 19, 2020, who rushed to a luxury villa in the [Internal Link Placeholder] Hollywood Hills. Inside, officers found the 20-year-old [Internal Link Placeholder] Pop Smoke, Bashar Barakah Jackson, fatally wounded after a brutal home invasion – a [Internal Link Placeholder] that shocked the music world. This tragedy abruptly extinguished a shining star and initiated a complex investigation that uncovered connections to rival [Internal Link Placeholder] and the dangerous role social [Internal Link Placeholder] unintentionally played.

Pop Smoke's path to success and luxury residence

In record time, Pop Smoke had become one of [Internal Link Placeholder] most promising rap talents. With his 2019 debut EP *Meet the Woo* and the hit single "Welcome to the Party," he had cemented his position. In February 2020, he traveled to Los Angeles, [Internal Link Placeholder], to work on his music. There, he rented a spacious villa via Airbnb in the exclusive Hollywood Hills neighborhood, a property owned by reality star Teddi Mellencamp and her husband Edwin Arroyave.

Instagram post revealed Pop Smoke's home address

Pop Smoke's own Instagram shares proved fatal, as they enabled the perpetrators to locate the villa. Just the day before the [Internal Link Placeholder], on February 18, he [Internal Link Placeholder] a picture of a gift bag from the clothing brand Amiri, which inadvertently revealed the villa's address. Videos of him by the house's infinity pool with its impressive view of the Los Angeles skyline further confirmed his luxurious whereabouts, a dangerous consequence of geotagging and online exposure.

Masked men, a fatal shot, and a stolen Rolex

On February 19 at 4:29 a.m., the LAPD received the first report of a break-in at the villa via a 911 call from the East Coast. [Internal Link Placeholder], crucial [Internal Link Placeholder] in the case, captured four masked men arriving at the property at 4:30 a.m. One of the men, a mere 15-year-old, carried a Beretta M92 pistol. They entered the house via a second-floor balcony, confronted a woman, and proceeded to the bedroom where Pop Smoke was. When police arrived at the scene, they found the [Internal Link Placeholder] with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. He was [Internal Link Placeholder] rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, but unfortunately, his life could not be saved. The autopsy later determined the cause of death to be a single gunshot that penetrated his right lung and damaged his aorta. The perpetrators stole Pop Smoke's diamond-studded Rolex watch and other jewelry before fleeing.

Gang conflict leads to arrests of Corey Walker

The LAPD's [Internal Link Placeholder] Division quickly took over the investigation, which soon pointed towards gang involvement. Pop Smoke had previously been associated with the Crips gang, while the suspected perpetrators belonged to a rival group from South Central Los Angeles. [Internal Link Placeholder] from [Internal Link Placeholder] footage and cell phone data linked the perpetrators to a previous [Internal Link Placeholder] at the Rose Bowl in 2019, strengthening police suspicion of an organized attack related to [Internal Link Placeholder]. In July 2020, a series of raids led to the arrest of five individuals: Corey Walker (19), Keandre Rodgers (18), Jaquan Murphy (21), and two minors aged 15 and 17. A phone recording from a juvenile [Internal Link Placeholder] center later revealed the 15-year-old's confession to a cellmate, admitting to firing the fatal shots.

California sentence: 29 years and shooter's fate

It took five years to bring the complex case to a close in the [Internal Link Placeholder] justice system. Corey Walker, considered the primary organizer of the [Internal Link Placeholder], reached a plea deal with the prosecution and admitted to voluntary manslaughter, leading to a 29-year prison sentence, handed down in 2025. The man, now 20, who fired the shots as a 15-year-old, was sentenced to a juvenile facility until he turns 25. The other [Internal Link Placeholder] received sentences ranging from four to eight years in prison. The court placed significant emphasis on [Internal Link Placeholder], including [Internal Link Placeholder] placing the suspects at the [Internal Link Placeholder], and documentation of the stolen Rolex watch being sold for $2,000. The prosecution highlighted Walker's role in scouting the villa via online real estate databases like Zillow and coordinating the break-in.

Robbery or revenge? Social media's dangerous role

The motive behind the [Internal Link Placeholder] has been a central question. The defendants claimed [Internal Link Placeholder] was the primary purpose, but the court also saw signs that this [Internal Link Placeholder] stemmed from territorial conflicts within [Internal Link Placeholder]. Pop Smoke's previous Crip affiliation and his conspicuous behavior on social [Internal Link Placeholder] could have been perceived as provocations to local gangs in South Central Los Angeles. The case starkly highlighted the dangers of uncritically using geotagging and online displays of luxury. The tragedy has led [Internal Link Placeholder] to tighten guidelines for [Internal Link Placeholder] renters, including the removal of address information from marketing materials.

Pop Smoke's legacy and increased music security

Despite his untimely death, Pop Smoke's musical legacy lives on. His [Internal Link Placeholder] album, *Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon*, topped the charts in 2020 and cemented his status as a [Internal Link Placeholder] icon. Renowned producer 50 Cent described him as an artist who combined '[Internal Link Placeholder] energy and L.A.'s swagger.' Pop Smoke's [Internal Link Placeholder] also led to increased awareness of security in the music industry, with famous artists subsequently strengthening their security measures, including screening social [Internal Link Placeholder] posts for potential risks.

From tragedy: Digital footprints and violence

Pop Smoke's death is a tragic example of how carelessness on social [Internal Link Placeholder], combined with [Internal Link Placeholder] and criminal opportunism, can have fatal consequences. Although the U.S. justice system has imposed sentences for this brutal [Internal Link Placeholder] and [Internal Link Placeholder], the case's progression underscores the deep societal challenges of urban crime and the lasting consequences of our digital footprints.

Sources:

• latimes.com
• latimes.com
• latimes.com
• latimes.com
• abcnews.go.com

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