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XXXTentacion death: Second person arrested over murder of rapper

Rapper was gunned down in June as he left a motorcycle dealership near Fort Lauderdale

Chris Stevenson
New York
Wednesday 11 July 2018 16:48 BST
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Rapper XXXTentacion attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2017 at The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater on October 6, 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida
Rapper XXXTentacion attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2017 at The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater on October 6, 2017 in Miami Beach, Florida (Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET)

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A second person has been arrested over the killing of rap star XXXTentacion, police in Florida have said.

Michael Boatright, 22, is facing first-degree murder charges in the shooting, the Broward Sheriff's Office said.

Mr Boatwright was initially arrested last week on an unrelated drug charge, investigators said. Jail records do not list an attorney for him.

Also charged in the killing outside a Deerfield Beach motorcycle shop is Dedrick Williams, 22. His lawyer has said he will plead not guilty. Detectives still want to talk with a third man, 22-year-old Robert Allen, who is described as a “person of interest” in the case and may know something about the killing.

Authorities say robbery was the motive in the killing of the 20-year-old XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy. XXXTentacion was gunned down in June as he left a motorcycle dealership near Fort Lauderdale where he was planning to make a purchase.

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

XXXTentacion was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his songs. According to local media reports, he had spent time in jail and was awaiting trial on allegations of domestic violence.

The rapper, who was born and raised in Plantation, Florida, released his debut album in August 2017. His second album ? debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 album chart when it was released in March.

The death of XXXTentacion stunned the hip hop community and sparked tributes online. Thousands of fans turned out last month for a music-filled memorial service held at a 20,000-seat arena that is home to the Florida Panthers hockey team.

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