TAMPA, Fla. — Jacksonville rapper Julio Foolio has been shot and killed at a hotel in Tampa, according to his attorney.
Jacksonville-based attorney Lewis Fusco confirmed Sunday that his client Charles Andrew Jones II, 26, had been killed early Sunday morning.
The Tampa Police Department said it received a 911 call regarding a shooting at 11606 McKinley Drive at approximately 4:40 a.m. and later confirmed Jones' death.
"The victim in this morning's shooting is believed to be Charles Jones (DOB: 6-21-1998). Positive identification is pending confirmation from the Medical Examiner's Office," the agency said in a statement.
A release said officers observed two vehicles that had been shot at in the parking lot of a hotel. Four people were injured in the shooting, police said, with one person pronounced dead. Three other victims were treated at a local hospital.
Police refer to the investigation as active and are investigating what led up to the shooting and working to identify who is involved.
Anyone with information related to the shooting is asked to call 813-231-6130 or share a tip via Tip411, via the TampaPD app. The agency has not released a suspect description.
Friday morning, Foolio took to X to celebrate his birthday, saying, "God thank you for allowing me to see another year and to celebrate another birthday."
Social media posts from Jones' account show him advertising a pool party at an Airbnb. Other images posted by Jones show a birthday party at Teasers, a gentlemen's club in Tampa.
"Mr. Jones had been in Tampa to celebrate his birthday over the weekend. Law enforcement reports indicate that he initially stayed at an Airbnb but was asked to leave due to exceeding occupancy limits. He subsequently relocated to the Holiday Inn, where he was involved in an incident in the hotel parking lot and reportedly ambushed.
While these events involving our client, Mr. Charles Jones, have been disclosed by law enforcement, we are unable to provide further comments at this time until additional details become public record. We kindly request that the privacy of Mr. Jones and his family be respected during this difficult time," Fusco said in a press release.
Jones was arrested April 8, 2023 and charged with felony fleeing following a traffic stop on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, Jacksonville police said. He was released on $10,000 bond.
He also made headlines in November 2021 after being grazed by a shooters’ bullet in Jacksonville’s Riverside area where he said he was at a recording studio. Foolio later took to Instagram to taunt his assailants saying, “Y’all miss a whole 100 shots literally.”
Foolio belonged to Jacksonville gang KTA, which has been embroiled with a long running feud with gang, ATK, which counts prominent Jacksonville rapper Yungeen Ace, real name Keyanta Bullard, as its most visible member.
Yungeen Ace was the target in a retaliatory shooting for the death of Jones' cousin Zion Brown in June 2018 when he and three other teens went to a Town Center restaurant to celebrate the rapper's brother's birthday. Ace survived after being shot eight times. The three others, including his brother, Tre'von Bullard , 18, died. The two other men were Royale D'Von Smith Jr., 18, and Jercoby Da'Shad Groover, 19.
Following the shooting, Julio Foolio made several posts on social media glorifying the killings, First Coast News reported. He created a T-shirt airbrushed with a photo of Royale D'Von Smith Jr., aka 23, that said "Rest in piss 23." He posted a photo of the T-shirt on his Instagram page saying, "I'm getting a new T-shirt made for my show."
