Drakeo the Ruler’s mother plans to sue the parties responsible for security and safety at the Once Upon a Time in L.A. music festival after the rapper’s tragic death.
Banc of California Stadium and Live Nation are two parties that either hosted or produced the concert and will possibly be named.
According to Rolling Stone, Darrylene Corniel believes that someone should be held responsible, and she wants justice.
In the exclusive interview, she shared that her son, Darrell Caldwell, aka Drakeo the Ruler, was stabbed in the neck and rushed to the hospital on December 18th.
Because his death was considered a homicide, she could not hug or kiss him during his last moments. Instead, she had to view him through a window.
She said, “I need this to be out there. I need people to know. And I do want justice for my son. And I do believe that justice will be served. I will not rest until justice is served.”
Corniel shares that she is a teacher with a bachelor’s degree in child development and that her son was a caring father who had just taken his son to the Long Beach Aquarium days before his death.
The bereaved mother explained what she was told happened that night.
Her younger son, a rapper known as Ralfy the Plug, was with Drakeo backstage. The two were among a small group of people when a larger group flooded into the area. Her intel communicated to her that this was Y.G. and his entourage.
“They said there were, like, 40 to 60 people,” Corniel told the outlet. “They started trying to jump them.”
Her younger son, whose real name is Devonte Caldwell, tried to step in but to no avail.
“He was trying to fight, but when he turned around, he could see his brother with blood gushing out of him,” she said, reliving the tragedy through her baby’s eyes. “He was like, ‘Did they stab you?’ It was like, there were so many of them.”
While there were many people present, she wondered where the security was hired to keep everyone safe.
“This happened backstage at an event. Someone has to be held accountable,” she stated.
A spokesperson for Live Nation shared their sentiments in an email to Rolling Stone, saying, “We are extremely saddened by the passing of Drakeo The Ruler. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones and fans, and we’re doing everything we can to assist authorities in their investigation.”
Authorities are investigating how someone was allowed to get a weapon in. Another theory is that the weapon was already inside and whomever the suspect was picked it up after entering.
The mother still blames security.
“They let all these people in, and you’re not supposed to have all these people backstage. And your security is supposed to be in place,” Corniel continued. “The whole program should have been orchestrated a lot better than what it was. And there should have been more protection. Even if you have metal detectors, even if you pat them down, you let those people come in there. You had more people come in than you were supposed to. And you allowed them to jump my son. You didn’t protect my son.”
“Darrell, my son, had a good heart. He took care of those around him because I taught him that, to watch out for everybody,” she said. “People who really know my son knew he was a real individual. He had a genuine heart.”
