Three Arrested, Two Sought for Gang-Related Shooting of Rapper Julio Foolio in Tampa

Three individuals have been arrested, and two others are being sought in connection with the gang-related shooting of rapper Julio Foolio in Tampa, Florida, last month, officials announced on Monday.

Sean Gathright, 18; Alicia Andrews, 21; and Isaiah Chance Jr., 21, were arrested on Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw stated in a news conference that each faces charges of premeditated murder with the discharge of a firearm and premeditated conspiracy to commit murder.

Two other suspects, Rashad Murphy, 30, and Davion Murphy, 27, are considered fugitives and will also face murder charges, Chief Bercaw said.

On June 22, the five suspects traveled from Jacksonville to Tampa in two vehicles with the intent to locate and kill Charles Jones, 26, known by his stage name Julio Foolio, in retaliation for an ongoing gang feud in Jacksonville, according to a statement from the Tampa Police Department.

Jones was a member of the 6 Block gang, while Chance was affiliated with the ATK gang, and the Murphys belonged to the 1200 gang. The statement highlighted that the feud between 6 Block and rival gangs ATK and 1200 has spanned over a decade and resulted in numerous murders on both sides. It was evident that the suspects worked together to hunt down and kill Charles Jones as part of this gang conflict.

The three shooters identified in the statement were Rashad Murphy, Sean Gathright, and Davion Murphy.

Those arrested will be transferred to Tampa, said Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez at the news conference. All five suspects will face the same charges, regardless of who pulled the trigger, she added. It is unclear if they have legal representation.

Jones was shot and killed outside the Home2 Suites hotel in Tampa on June 23 during a weekend of birthday events that he had announced on his social media accounts, where he has one million followers on Instagram and nearly one million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Chief Bercaw explained that the group had been following Jones and parked across the street from the hotel. The shooters approached the parking lot and fired with a handgun and three rifles, killing Jones and injuring three other people who survived.

The Tampa Police Department received a 911 call about the shooting at 11606 McKinley Drive around 4:40 a.m. on June 23. Officers found the victims in two vehicles that had been shot. Investigators used video footage, license plate readers, and phone logs to identify the shooters, Chief Bercaw said.

About a week before the shooting, Jones had shared details of his birthday celebrations on social media. He announced on Instagram that his “air bnb pool party” would be on June 21 in Tampa and invited people to message him for the address. However, Jones was asked to leave the Airbnb due to exceeding occupancy limits, according to his representative, Lewis Fusco.

Jones had previously written about surviving past attacks.