HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The man charged in the fatal shooting of Migos rapper Takeoff appeared in a probable cause court in downtown Houston late Friday night.
The suspected shooter, 33-year-old Patrick Xavier Clark, was surrounded in court by Houston Police Department officers.
During Clark’s court hearing, we learned video evidence, license plate information from the car he was left in and fingerprints from a wine bottle he was holding led to his arrest.
Investigators said the shooting stemmed from a fight over a high-stakes dice game at 810 Billiard and Bowling Alley at 1210 San Jacinto.
HPD said Takeoff was in the wrong place at the wrong time as he was reportedly not involved in the game or the fight.
The state set his bail at $2 million after authorities believed Clark tried to leave town.
According to documents, two days before his arrest, Clark bought plane tickets to Mexico and applied for and received an expedited passport.
The state also said he was able to obtain the passport and when he was arrested, officers found a large amount of cash on him.
“The court finds that this behavior is indicative; indeed, you pose a flight risk and therefore the court will follow the prosecutor’s recommendation and set your bail at $2 million,” the judge said.
Clark is in the Harris County Jail awaiting his next court appearance, scheduled for Monday.
Houston police announced Friday that Clark was charged with the Nov. 1 murder of Kirshnik Khari Bell, otherwise known as one-third of the Atlanta hip-hop group.
Clark was taken into custody Thursday night in east town without incident.
Clark is the second person charged in connection with the bowling alley shooting.
Just hours before Clark’s arrest, 22-year-old Cameron Joshua was taken into custody and charged with two counts of felony possession of a weapon. Police stressed that Joshua was not directly involved in Takeoff’s death.
ORIGINAL REPORT: HPD boss wants change to begin in Houston hip-hop community after Takeoff’s death
Clark’s past
The confrontation that left Takeoff dead may not have been the first to result in Clark being investigated.
A criminal record search by Eyewitness News uncovered Clark’s connection to a February 2018 shooting at a nightclub on North Shepherd Drive. A victim in his 50s died when a customer opened fire at the store, prompting security forces to fire back, police said.
Clark emerged as a suspect in the case, but a Harris County grand jury found there was insufficient evidence to indict him.
For more updates, follow Courtney Carpenter on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
TIED TOGETHER:
Copyright © 2022 KTRK-TV. All rights reserved.