Jacksonville rapper Julio Foolio, born Charles Jones, has reportedly died after being shot in Tampa, Florida, early Sunday morning.
Foolio was celebrating his 26th birthday at an Airbnb when police shut down the party due to the large number of attendees. The group then moved to a nearby Holiday Inn, where Foolio was ambushed.
According to News 4 Jax, Tampa Police responded to a 911 call about a shooting at the hotel at 4:40 a.m. Officers found two vehicles in the parking lot that had been shot at. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, and three others were taken to a hospital, where they are in stable condition.
“The victim in this morning’s shooting is believed to be Charles Jones,” Tampa Police Public Information Officer Jonee’ Lewis said in a press release. “Positive identification is pending confirmation from the Medical Examiner’s Office.”
Law enforcement officials are actively investigating the shooting and are working to identify those involved.
Foolio grew up in Jacksonville’s Moncrief neighborhood and gained attention in 2017 with tracks like “Dirty Sticks,” featuring Soulja K. In 2018, he released his album 6Toven, produced by Zaytoven, featuring the single “Crooks.” He later gained national attention in 2021 for his feud with rapper Yungeen Ace, releasing diss tracks such as “Beatbox Remix” and “When I See You.”
Foolio’s music often touched on the murders of his friends and his own mental health struggles, including depression. He spoke about coping with his pain by taking Percocets and using music as therapy.
“The fans ask me why I pop all these Percocets all the time, and it’s not because I want to feel the high,” Foolio told Complex in 2021. “It’s because I don’t want to feel the shit I’m going through.”
Foolio typically freestyled his lyrics but wrote extensively during a stint in county jail, producing what he called some of his best work.
Foolio had been involved in several non-fatal shootings in the past, including an incident last October when he was hospitalized after reportedly being shot in the foot.
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