Surveillance video, orange sandals, tattoos and social media helped lead police to Dedrick Williams as they investigated the death of 20-year-old rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot and killed a week ago outside a motorcycle and boat shop in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Employees at Riva Motorsports & Marine told investigators that they recognized the heavily tattooed Williams as a returning customer the day of the killing, according to the arrest warrant signed last Tuesday that resulted in Williams being taken into custody Wednesday, where he remains with no bond on one count of depraved murder without premeditation, violation of probation and driving without a license.
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The Miami Herald reports that surveillance cameras show the two suspects’ dark SUV entering the parking lot at 3:32 p.m., two minuets after XXXTentacion’s BMW. A black man in a white tank top and a “heavy set” black man in a dark T-shirt emerged and entered the store, walking past XXXTentacion and his friend, according to the warrant.
“It is now clear that the subject in the white tank top is wearing bright orange-colored sandals,” the warrant reportedly reads.
The two bought a black neoprene mask and left the store, with their SUV leaving the parking lot 10 minutes after they got back into the SUV at 3:48 p.m. Cameras caught the car leaving Riva and parking in a nearby lot, visible to cameras throughout the entire incident.
The employee who cashed out the mask purchase recognized the man in the white tank top and orange sandals as a repeat customer, although he did not know his name. Later, after the shooting, detectives found an April photo of the heavily-tattooed Williams in orange sandals on one of his Instagram accounts and a May photo with the same shoes on one of his Facebook accounts.
On Tuesday, two Riva employees identified Williams from a six-photo array as the mask buyer from Monday. Wednesday morning, Williams posted a photo to Facebook with the cation “Don’t piss me off u will never know wats next.” He was arrested eight hours later.
As previously reported, Williams was arrested as one of the suspects in XXXTentacion’s killing. The arrest warrant details that Broward County sheriff’s detectives responded to a 3:57 p.m. shooting call last Monday. The passenger riding with XXXTentacion in the rapper’s BMW told detectives that after a dark SUV blocked their exit from the lot, two guys came out of the SUV passenger side and robbed XXXTentacion before shooting him. One took a small bag from the car and escaped in the SUV.
A witness told the Broward Sheriff’s Office that the robbers looked like black men with dark clothes, gloves and some kind of face masks. One wore a black face mask, the other a red one.
Police also issued two other arrest warrants for other suspects involved in the killing, although their identities have not been released.
Plans for a public funeral for XXXTentacion, whose given name was Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, were announced Sunday on the rapper’s Instagram page. Fans will say their final goodbyes at the BB&T Center, the 20,000 seat arena that is home to the NHL Florida Panthers. The service will be held from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
“The admission is free. This is a final farewell, not an event,” the caption from XXXTentacion’s family reads. They also asked fans not to take their cell phones into the venue.
“No cellular device or cameras will be allowed,” the flyer reads. “Please leave them at home or in your vehicle. Any person found with any device of the sort will be immediately turned around at gate or escorted out and will not be allowed back on the premises.”
At the time of his death, XXXTentacion was awaiting trial on domestic violence charges. In March, he topped the Billboard 200 album chart with his second album, ?.
