TAMPA, Fla. – Charles Jones, who went by the rap name Julio Foolio died and three others were injured after a shooting in a hotel parking lot in Tampa.
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Hours before the shooting, Foolio posted on social media about a pool party at an Airbnb.
He then posted saying the police shut the party down and kicked them out.
That’s when he went to the Holiday Inn where his lawyer said he was ambushed.
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Video shows crime scene tape covering the hotel entrance as investigators canvassed the area for evidence.
The shooting happened shortly before 5 a.m. when two cars were shot at, according to the Tampa Police Department.
Foolio died at the scene.
In 2021, Foolio was grazed in the ankle by a bullet during a drive-by shooting outside a Riverside home. He told police he heard gunshots when he walked outside, so he grabbed two guns and started shooting back.
He went on Instagram Live hours later to explain what happened.
In October 2023, he was shot in the foot.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney talked about what goes into an investigation like this.
“In doing this for so long, I would tend to think this is more of a Jacksonville-based regional kind of beef between two groups, maybe took advantage of a foolish posting that was out there saying where he was and that’s the downside of that,” Hackney said.
Hackney said there are concerns about violence increasing in Jacksonville due to Foolio being a high-profile person.
“I tend to think so,” Hackney said. “When you look a little historically back at him and some of the incidents that he’s had just in the last 12 months, you have to make some assumption that you know, based on that this is going to be a back-and-forth kind of thing. That’s the downside of this, it doesn’t stop so his murder comes in, somebody from a rival group is now going to get out there and need to be retaliated against in their eyes for his murder and then that just keeps going.”
Hackney said he expects JSO to help the Tampa Police Department in case something else transpires.
“You’re going to have detectives from Tampa who maybe aren’t as familiar with some of the ins and outs of these two groups,” Hackney said.
A.J. Jordan of Mad Dads talked about the impact Foolio’s death could have on the city.
“First of all, we want to send our condolences to his family. Anytime we have a murder, even though this murder happened in Tampa, he’s from Jacksonville and it’s sad you know, sad for his family, sad for his friends, and so on. We are sad about that,” Jordan said.
Jordan said he hopes his death doesn’t cause any gun violence in the community.
“I’m hoping whatever went on with that, that they squash it they let the police Tampa PD handle it and be done with it. We don’t need any more violence in our community,” Jordan said.
News4JAX reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to ask about potential concerns regarding gun violence in the city following Jones’ death, and sent the following statement:
“Our dedicated officers and detectives do not cease to ensure and provide safety and security for our city which will always be of paramount importance as we aim to deter any potential issues that may arise in the foreseeable future. Any investigations of a deceased person of interest, subject, and/or suspect, if active will continue to be thoroughly examined until all efforts have been exhausted.”
JSO Public Information Officer A. Kelly
Anyone who knows any information related to the shooting is asked to call the Tampa Police Department.