Florida Rapper Foolio Shot & Killed Celebrating 26th Birthday

Julio Foolio, a prominent rapper from Jacksonville, Florida, was shot and killed on Sunday (June 23).

According to local news outlets, Foolio (real name Charles Jones) was killed in Tampa, where his vehicle was riddled with bullets during the attack.

Despite first responders’ best efforts to save him, Foolio succumbed to his injuries. His attorney, Lewis Fusco, confirmed the tragic news, saying, “Yes, I have been his attorney for many years. He was shot and killed in Tampa. I cannot make any statements at this time other than confirming he was killed outside of a Holiday Inn hotel while celebrating his birthday in Tampa this weekend.”

Fusco explained Foolio had been in Tampa all weekend to celebrate his birthday, where he initially stayed at an Airbnb but was asked to vacate the property due to the number of people at the residence. He then reportedly booked a room at a local Holiday Inn, where he was evidently ambushed in the parking lot.

“All of this information has been released by law enforcement; however, I am unable to comment on anything else at this time until it becomes public record,” Fusco added.

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Foolio had a history of surviving violent confrontations, including a notable incident in 2021 where he was targeted in a shooting that saw his vehicle hit multiple times. He did, however, manage to escape unscathed.  In a 2021 interview with AllHipHop, he talked about getting shot at age 15.

“I done been through real deal, the worst wars,” he said at the time. “I done everything I wasn’t supposed to see, did everything I wasn’t supposed to do. From getting shot to going to jail, everything. I was young. I was 15 so damn, that s### f##### my head up. Because when you a jit, you don’t know that you can die for real. [I was shot] in my hip. It broke my hip, I was good though. I was in the hospital for 2 or 3 weeks to a month, I was good.”

The recent attack proved fatal. Fans and fellow artists have expressed their shock and sorrow over his untimely death, highlighting the relentless cycle of violence that often surrounds the rap community—particularly in Jacksonville. The city’s most notorious beef is between 6-block (or Bully Gang), which was made famous by Foolio, and the ATK.

During the last few years, Jacksonville has received a lot of media attention nationwide from Foolio’s beef with Yungeen Ace, a member of the ATK. Many members of ATK also claim a gang called NHG, which stands for No Hospital Gang. NHG and ATK are also closely aligned with a set called Backstreet.

In 2023, Foolio and other members of Bully Gang went to a cemetery to film a music video for Bully Gang rapper Jake Jhitt and posed for photos in front of the burial site of Royale De’Von Smith Jr.

Smith—or “23” as he was known—was in a car with Yungeen Ace and two other teens in June 2018 celebrating Smith’s birthday at a restaurant at the St. Johns Town Center when their car was riddled with bullets. Smith and two other men—including Ace’s brother—were killed.