Rapper killed at age 26 in Florida shooting

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Rapper Julio Foolio has died at the age of 26 after being shot outside a Florida hotel early Sunday morning (June 23), his lawyer confirmed to NBC News.

The “Pain” rapper – real name Charles Jones – celebrated his 26th birthday on Saturday night (June 22) before moving to a Holiday Inn, where the musician was ambushed by assailants, according to his lawyer Lewis Fusco.

Tampa Police say Billboard that police arrived on scene around 4:40 a.m. ET following a 911 call. There, they found two vehicles riddled with bullets in the parking lot. Jones was pronounced dead, and three others were taken to a local hospital and were in stable condition.

Before arriving at the hotel, the rapper celebrated his birthday with a crew at a nearby Airbnb, but he claimed authorities “shut us down and kicked us out,” NBC News reported, citing his Instagram story.

Police are working to identify those involved and are investigating a motive. Tampa police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call 813-231-6130.

Jones’ latest project was released in April with resurrectionWhen announcing the album, Foolio admitted that there had been “several attempts” on his life, but that he remained perseverant.

“THE LAST FEW MONTHS/YEARS OF MY LIFE HAVE BEEN TRAGIC,” he wrote on Instagram on April 4. “GOD HAS BEEN TRYING TO SEND ME A MESSAGE. MULTIPLE ATTACKS ON MY CIRCUMSTANCES. I KEEP SURVIVING… I KEEP LOSING MY BROTHERS IN JAIL AND CEMETERIES BUT I KNOW THE MOST HIGH DOES EVERYTHING FOR A REASON AND LET ME GO FOR A REASON.”