- A Rolling Stone report has cast doubt on rapper DaBaby’s claim that he killed a teenager in self-defense in 2018.
- New security camera footage of the incident shows DaBaby appearing to start the fight, according to the outlet.
- Charges against the rapper were dropped in March 2019 after a key witness failed to appear in court.
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A new video from Rolling Stone has cast doubt on controversial rapper DaBaby’s claim that he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed a teenager in 2018.
The artist – real name Jonathan Kirk – was involved in a deadly altercation that resulted in the death of 19-year-old Jaylin Craig. However, the charges against Kirk were dropped in March 2019 after a key witness failed to appear in court.
On Sunday, Rolling Stone released a previously unreleased video clip of the incident, which took place on November 5, 2018 at a North Carolina Walmart.
In the clip, Jonathan “DaBaby” Kirk can be seen fighting alongside teenagers Henry Douglas and Craig. Kirk appears to have started the altercation by attacking Douglas.
At one point, Craig stands to the side while Kirk Douglas attacks, charging and punching him.
Craig then appears to draw a gun, although it is unclear if he is putting it away. Kirk is then seen drawing his gun and firing off several shots.
— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 25, 2022
Kirk’s version of events painted a different picture of what happened. He said in a social media video in 2018 that he had been confronted with gun-wielding individuals who could have harmed him, his daughter and son.
“The daughter could have been hit, the son could have been hit [and] me,” DaBaby said. “Fucking lawyers tell me not to say anything and shit, fuck all that. Two n—– walk down on you and your whole damn family, threaten y’all, flog y’all, n—- let me see what y’all will do.
Rolling Stone spoke to Todd Owens, a defense attorney and former North Carolina District Court judge, who said what was seen in the video weakened Kirk’s claims that he was in danger.
“Going up there and shoving a person who’s brandishing a gun or who they can see is a really risky proposition,” Owens said. “That completely undermines this legal theory.”
Legal analyst Emily Baker told Rolling Stone that the situation may not be as clear-cut because witnesses claimed to have seen Craig with a gun, even though Kirk appeared to be the one who started the fight.
“It’s not, ‘These people rolled on me and tried to roll me and I had to fight back,'” Baker told Rolling Stone. “That’s not what this video shows. This video shows a fight that got out of control very quickly and someone died.”
Rolling Stone also released a statement from a prosecutor’s office, noting that he had “reviewed the police investigation file” and agreed with the police not to further indict Mr. Kirk. This was because prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense.”
Representatives for the rapper did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.
Earlier this month, Kirk was involved in another shooting, this time involving a man whom he shot dead outside his home.