Early Sunday morning, Florida-based rapper Julio Foolio was tragically shot and killed in a Tampa hotel parking lot.
Lewis Fusco, his lawyer, confirmed to CBS News affiliate WTSP-TV in Tampa that he had passed away.
During a press conference, Jonee Lewis, a spokesperson for the Tampa Police, reported that at approximately 4:40 a.m., officers were dispatched to the Holiday Inn Tampa North in response to a shooting. According to Lewis, two vehicles were targeted and as a result, four individuals were shot.
The authorities have not confirmed the identity of one of the victims, who is believed to be a 26-year-old man named Charles Jones. However, as per WTSP, it has been revealed that Jones is Foolio’s legal name. The confirmation of his identity is still pending from the medical examiner.
The shooting left three additional individuals injured.
According to Fusco’s statement to WTSP, Foolio was in Tampa to enjoy his birthday party at an Airbnb. However, due to the excessive number of people present at the location, he was requested to leave. Subsequently, he headed to the Holiday Inn, where he was allegedly attacked and ambushed, as per Fusco’s account to WTSP.
With a massive following of over 1 million on Instagram, Foolio recently took to social media to announce that he was in Tampa to celebrate his birthday. The popular rapper used his platform to promote the event and share the news with his fans.
According to Lewis, the hotel guests were not asked to evacuate, but the police were present at the scene to offer assistance in case of any emergency.
The investigation team is encouraging the public to come forward with any videos or information that could be useful in solving the case. Your cooperation and assistance will be highly appreciated.
Lewis urged anyone who may have seen or heard anything, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward with information. “Every detail counts towards figuring out what occurred this morning,” he emphasized.
