'Not unexpected': Harris County grand jury indicts suspect in Takeoff murder

A Harris County jury issued an indictment on Thursday for the 33-year-old man accused of fatally shooting Migos member Takeoff in Downtown Houston last November. 

The suspect, Patrick Clark, formally faces a murder charge in response to the incident that occurred on Nov. 1, 2022.

Authorities claim that Clark pulled the trigger on the 28-year-old Grammy-nominated rapper, whose real name was Kirshnik Khari Ball, at 810 Billiards & Bowling at the GreenStreet complex.

Houston Daily reported that the purported gunman was arrested a month following the incident and was released on a $1 million bond earlier this year.

His attorney said in a statement distributed to Houston-based media outlets the indictment “isn’t unexpected.”

“We would ask people to remember that getting an indictment requires meeting a very, very minimal standard of proof,” Letitia Quinones-Hollins said. “When we get inside a courtroom and in front of a jury, where we will be able to put on our evidence and cross-examine the state’s witnesses – where the standard of proof is guilt beyond reasonable doubt – we expect the jury will come back with a verdict of not guilty." 

Houston FOX affiliate KRIV reported that the Harris County District Attorney’s (DA) Office confirmed the action taken by the grand jury. 

The Georgia-born and raised Takeoff formed the widely popular Migos with relatives and fellow rappers Quavo and Offset in 2008. 

The group was best known for their 2016 No. 1 hit, “Bad and Boujee.”

According to Houston NPR affiliate Houston Public Media (HPM), Clark is a resident of Channelview who had no prior criminal convictions in Harris County.

Clark’s defense team unsuccessfully attempted to get his bond lowered from the original $2 million to $300,000, Houston Daily reported.

Harris County 232nd Criminal District Court Judge Josh Hill elected to not reduce the bond to $300,000, but instead, set it at the $1 million Clark would eventually pay because of certain remarks supposedly made by him.

HPM reported that the suspect is to remain under continuous house arrest and may not leave unless it’s to go to doctor and dentist appointments and meetings with his counsel and bail bonds company.

He also must wear a GPS monitor that alerts authorized figures and entities to his current whereabouts.