The complex investigation surrounding Pop Smoke’s death has officers questioning whether the motivation ran deeper than a robbery.
Though ‘s life was ended on Wednesday, February 19th, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet to reach any investigative conclusions. The main issue that appears to be at hand is whether Pop Smoke was the victim of a random robbery gone awry or whether he was specifically targeted to be murdered, a goal made tragically easier after his address was inadvertently shared online.
A report from the New York Times finds Capt. Jonathan L. Tippet speculating on whether the home-invaders were actually interested in robbing Pop Smoke of his belongings. Apparently, there was hardly any indication that “ransacking” had transpired, which he suggests is a telltale sign of robbery. “There were a couple of items that were taken, but some of the things you would think would be taken weren’t even really looked for,” Captain Tippet explains. “So that’s why we’re not really saying that it was a robbery or that he was the intended target.”
Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images
The fact that Smoke’s address was made public has made this one a little trickier to navigate, opening the door to a variety of new possibilities. “It’s an angle we’re looking at,” Capt. Jonathan L. Tippet revealed. “It also extends the pool of people that would have known where he was at and could have targeted him for a variety of reasons.” Not to mention the fact that Smoke’s location meant that an intruder would have had to actively track him down, a fact that in itself points to a more nefarious motive.
Be that as it may, authorities aren’t yet willing to look Eastward, where Smoke might have made former gang-affiliated enemies; that Smoke was “concerned” about the possibility of gang violence. Though it’s possible such a connection exists, neither Tippet nor his team has seen any indication steering them in that direction. Essentially, the investigation is set to continue — we can only hope that those responsible are found and brought to justice. Rest in peace Pop Smoke.
