While DaBaby’s weird homophobic rant may be fresher in people’s minds, the rapper is no stranger to legal trouble.
In 2018, DaBaby shot and killed someone at a Walmart.
After initially denying that he had pulled the trigger, the rapper claimed that he fired in self-defense, and ultimately plead to a lesser charge.
Now, the victim’s family is seeking justice, using a surveillance tape that they say was never even shown in court.
Many families of people who have been killed crave simple answers.
The family of Jaylin Craig, who was just 19 years old when he was fatally shot outside of a Walmart in Huntersville, North Carolina (just north of Charlotte), have answers.
Armed with the kind of answers that few families ever want or obtain, Jaylin’s family wants justice.
Jaylin died that fateful night on December 5, 2018.
Even though DaBaby — whose name is Jonathan Kirk — confirmed his involvement in the shooting at the time, he claimed self-defense.
By March of 2019, the most serious charges were dropped, and he ended up entering a guilty plea for … carrying a concealed weapon.
A teenager died, and DaBaby ended up with 12 months of probation and a suspended sentence.
Jaylin’s family wants justice for their loved one.
And Rolling Stone got a hold of a never-before-seen surveillance video from that Walmart that they hope will help.
As you can see in these numerous GIFs from the surveillance video, this was not a single incident.
At the beginning of the footage, Jaylin’s friend, Henry Douglas, appears in frame.
DaBaby then charges in and strikes him with a punch.
The scuffle continues, moving through the store.
Jaylin approaches the fight, presumably seeing his friend in trouble, and appears to be holding a handgun at the time before putting it away.
We can also see another shopper abandon their stopping cart, seemingly out of a desire to leave before further violence breaks out.
DaBaby returns to view.
He appears to pick up a gun from the floor, though it is difficult to say from the video.
DaBaby then places the item in his pants.
Jaylin’s family believes that DaBaby instigated the violence.
According to them, it all started when Henry and Jaylin recognized DaBaby in the store.
The rapper had not yet risen to mainstream prominence, and was allegedly angry at being recognized while shopping.
DaBaby’s version of events is that he was shopping with his family, including his young daughter.
He says that “someone” approached him with a gun, and that he had no choice but to take action.
The extent of the struggle depicted in the surveillance recording, all seemingly happening without a shot being fired, could be used in court to cast doubt upon that defense.
In fact, analysts say that the video undercuts DaBaby’s version of events in several ways.
It seems likely that, had the video been presented in court in a trial against DaBaby, prosecutors could have made their case.
Instead, even getting a conviction against DaBaby required the intervention of the North Carolina AG, with DaBaby serving no time.
Jaylin’s family, who note that Jaylin was one of the early supporters and local listeners who helped form DaBaby’s early fanbase, feel like Jaylin’s death was swept under the rug.
It’s not like DaBaby was acquitted, and it’s not that investigators seem to believe that someone else killed the 19-year-old.
Instead, it feels like Jaylin was forgotten by the justice system.
DaBaby got into more trouble for having the gun than for firing it, even though the tape appears to show him as the aggressor.
Since this incident, he has gotten into further trouble, including an arrest on a battery charge, striking a woman at one of his concerts, and an assault in a bowling alley.
Jaylin’s family hopes that the video and public outrage can encourage authorities to reconsider how long DaBaby can continue to get away with his actions.