What was Pop Smoke’s Cause of Death? Details explored as NYPD reveals he was part of ongoing investigation before passing away

Street Style - Paris Fashion Week - Menswear F/W 2020-2021 : Day Three - Source: Getty
Pop Smoke at Street Style - Paris Fashion Week - Menswear F/W 2020-2021 : Day Three - Source: Getty

Pop Smoke, also known as Bashar Barakah Jackson, was killed on February 19, 2020, after an intrusion at a Hollywood Hills rental house. The coroner of Los Angeles County declared that he died as a result of a gunshot wound, and his death was a homicide. The death of this young man was an eye-opener to the music industry since he was just 20 and gaining a lot of momentum in his career.

This was subsequently confirmed by the police, who stated that a group of intruders had broken into the house after Pop Smoke posted pictures on social media indicating the address. The suspects sought luxury goods and jewelry, among other items. The intruders had confronted Pop Smoke, who was in the shower. He put up a fight and was shot in the process.

During the following years, following his death, additional information surfaced regarding the LAPD robbery case and an independent NYPD inquiry. Prior to this, the NYPD was monitoring him due to his potential gang affiliation. This information casts doubt on his own struggle in the background prior to his death.


Pop Smoke’s cause of death and the circumstances of the shooting

Police said that the masked suspects broke into the house early in the morning, and there were between four and five suspects. After reading the address in a post on Pop Smoke's Instagram account, they broke through the second-floor balcony. The suspects wanted his jewelry and other properties.

One of the attackers was only 15 at the time. He confronted Pop Smoke in the bathroom, he told investigators. It was reported that Pop Smoke attempted to fight back. In the process, the suspect struck him with a gun and thereafter fired various shots with a 9mm handgun. The rapper was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The doctors attempted to resuscitate him, but he was declared dead shortly afterwards.

It later emerged that several suspects were charged, according to court records. One of the suspects accepted a plea of manslaughter. Others were accused of robbery. The police claimed that the motive was not gang-related, but rather a robbery of valuable things that the rapper had displayed online.

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NYPD’s earlier investigation and new details about his legal pressure

Before Pop Smoke’s death, the NYPD had been building a case involving his suspected ties to the G-Stone Crips in Brooklyn. The investigation began after his 2019 arrest for transporting a stolen Rolls-Royce from Los Angeles to New York. Officials used that case to pressure him for information about people in his neighborhood.

Former NYPD Chief John Chell later explained in an interview that they hoped the rapper would cooperate. He said they wanted the rapper to give information about gang activities. Reports stated that Smoke refused to become an informant, even when the request came with conditions tied to his legal case. Federal authorities were also aware of the situation.

The NYPD investigation stopped after he died. LAPD officials, who handled the murder case, said the robbery had nothing to do with gangs or the New York investigation. Still, details shared years later raised public questions about the pressure the rapper faced while building his music career.

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Edited by Yesha Srivastava