Man Arrested And Charged In Murder Of Rapper Takeoff

Police have arrested two people in connection with the fatal shooting of rapper Takeoff, who was killed outside of a bowling alley in Houston last month.

During a press conference on Friday, the Houston Police Department announced that 33-year-old Patrick Xavier Clark was arrested on Thursday and charged with murder for Takeoff’s death. Cameron Joshua, 22, was arrested on November 22 on a charge of felony possession of a weapon, according to Houston Police Chief Troy Finner. Joshua is not believed to have fired a weapon during the shooting.

“I’m glad that a suspect has been arrested and charged with Takeoff’s death,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner, who attended the presser. “I think we’re bringing some comfort to the family, though it does not bring Takeoff back.”

Takeoff, real name Kirshnik Khari Ball, was shot dead after a fight broke out at Billiards & Bowling Houston after 1:00 a.m. on November 1. The rapper, 28, was struck in the head and torso.

“I want to express my regret and disappointment that this was a case of another young man taking the life of another young man for no reason,” Turner said.

The Democrat mayor further attributed the death to gun violence. “The gun violence everywhere, not just in the city of Houston, has to stop,” he explained. “Pulling a firearm can have deadly consequences that you cannot undo.”

Police said around 40 people were present at the time of the shooting, and two guns went off during the incident. Two others were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, reports the Associated Press.

Video obtained by TMZ shows Quavo — a fellow rapper and member of the rap trio Migos — along with Takeoff and many others arguing before shots are fired and the group scatters.

Finner said the day after the shooting that there was “no reason to believe he was involved in anything criminal at the time.”

Takeoff is one of three in the rap group Migos, which rose to fame with the hit song “Versace” in 2013 and then topped the charts again with the 2016 rap song “Bad and Boujee.” That song was later certified four times platinum by RIAA, though Takeoff is not credited on the song and can only be seen in the background of the music video.

Takeoff and other Migo member Quavo release a joint album, “Only Built for Infinity Links,” just weeks before Takeoff’s death.

UK Government Watchdog Launches Formal Investigation Into Trans Charity ‘Mermaids’

A UK government watchdog announced a formal investigation into a British transgender charity on Friday after the initial inquiry began in September over concerns about the organization’s “approach to safeguarding young people.”

The Charity Commission, a regulator of charities in England and Wales, launched a full statutory inquiry into the transgender advocacy organization Mermaids after “identifying concerns about its governance and management,” according to a press release.

“The Commission will investigate the regulatory issues to determine whether they indicate serious systemic failing in the charity’s governance and management,” the press release said. “The regulator will seek to determine whether the charity’s governance is appropriate in relation to the activities the charity carries out, which involve vulnerable children and young people, as well as their families.”

The investigation comes just days after Mermaids’ chief executive Susie Green stepped down from her position after 6 years, with no interim to take her place.

The Charity Commission had opened a regulatory compliance case into Mermaids on September 29 after concerns were brought to their attention of the trans charity’s conduct relating to children. The probe was prompted after an investigation by The Telegraph found that Mermaids had been discreetly sending potentially dangerous “breast binders” to children as young as 13 and 14 against their parents’ wishes. Breast binding, the act of flattening the chest through constrictive materials, can cause breathing difficulties, chronic back pain, changes to the spine, and even broken ribs.

The transgender charity also faced intense public scrutiny when it was revealed that staff with no medical training were advising adolescents as young as 13 that puberty blocking drugs were safe and “totally reversible,” despite evidence to the contrary. Additionally, Mermaids faced backlash for offering to help 16-year-olds change their name without their parents’ knowledge.

The UK has seen a vast turnaround of their approach to treating minors who identify as transgender. After conducting a systematic review of evidence in October, England’s National Health Service (NHS) proposed new guidelines for treating trans-identifying youth, abandoning their previous endorsement of the “gender-affirming” model of care for a more cautious approach to treating gender dysphoria in minors. 

The NHS now recognizes that children and adolescents identifying as transgender may be experiencing a “transient phase” and warns that doctors should not encourage them to change their names and pronouns, as “social transition” is not a “neutral act” and could have “significant effects” in terms of “psychological functioning.”

After the Charity Commission concludes their inquiry, they plan to publish a detailed report of their findings and outcomes.