DaBaby's Lawyers Says Walmart Shooting Footage Supports Self-Defense Claim

DaBaby's lawyers say the viral surveillance footage was reviewed by prosecutors.

BYAron A.
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DaBaby's infamous 2018 Walmart shooting that left a 19-year-old dead continues to make headlines. Rolling Stone published an investigative report on the case, unearthing security footage from Walmart that the public hasn't seen. The report claimed that the footage undercut DaBaby's claim of self-defense but his attorney explained that it actually supported his argument in court.

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Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, attorneys for DaBaby, revealed that the footage was introduced and reviewed by prosecutors and a judge in the years since the shooting. The prosecutors concluded that the rapper acted in self-defense, hence why he didn't get charged with homicide. The video was later reviewed by a judge in Mecklenburg County over a charge for not carrying the correct gun permits. 

"Witnesses were interviewed and corroborated Mr. Kirk's statement," DaBaby's attorney told TMZ. "The entirety of the surveillance video was viewed and determined to corroborate Mr. Kirk's statement ... Mr. Kirk was protecting himself and his family at the time of the shooting."

DaBaby previously told police that he was acting in self-defense after the victim and his friend trailed behind him at Walmart and flashed a weapon.

The rapper responded to the controversy on social media on Monday morning. "Like damn bruh," he began. "N***as done took 30 million from me, lie on me once a week, want my fine ass BM's to hate me, want me to lose fights I don't start, WHAT MORE DO U WANT FROM MEEE?" 

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Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.