Julio Foolio was fatally shot just over a month ago, sending shockwaves through the community. Now, multiple arrests have been made in connection with his murder.
On Monday (July 29), Tampa PD held a press conference to announce three arrests. Each suspect is facing first-degree murder charges. The suspects are 18-year-old Sean Gathright, 21-year-old Alicia Andrews, and 21-year-old Isaiah Chance Jr.
Police are still searching for two other individuals, Davion and Rashad Murphy. Gathright and the Murphy brothers are the alleged shooters, while Chance Jr. and Andrews have been named as the getaway drivers.
Surveillance footage of the shooting was released, showing masked gunmen firing multiple rounds at Foolio’s car in a Tampa Holiday Inn parking lot. Julio Foolio was celebrating his 26th birthday outside the hotel when he was shot and killed on June 23.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw explained that the suspects are members of rival gang ATK. This gang reportedly has ties with Foolio’s longtime enemy, Yungeen Ace. Earlier this week, Yungeen Ace addressed the murder on Instagram Live.
Ace denied involvement in the crime, despite being accused of placing a $10,000 bounty on Foolio. He shared, “That shit sad, I ain’t gonna lie, bruh. Leave the streets alone, playa. I don’t condone shit like that.”
In an unexpected twist, Ace revealed that he and Foolio were on good terms before his death. He added, “It’s so funny ’cause we were cool and shit. I was just talking to him and I was like, ‘Bruh, you gotta stay out of the way. You know a n-gga love you out here. I fuck with you, real shit.’”
An anonymous video surfaced online, where a man claiming to be Foolio’s killer said: “On everything I love, on the dead homies, I put it on everything on my soul, on my kid, n-gga: I’m the one that smacked Julio Foolio that night when he got dropped at his birthday celebration.”
The man in the video detailed how Yungeen Ace allegedly ordered the hit: “There was money on his head. I rock with Ace and them boys, ATK. I be in Jacksonville heavy. If you know, you know. I handled that because Ace had that money on his head…Told me to slide, told me to smack Foolio ’cause he got tired of that n-gga running his mouth, playing all the time, you feel me?”
Julio Foolio and Yungeen Ace’s crews, KTA and ATK, had been feuding for years. The tension escalated after Foolio’s cousin was shot and killed in 2017, followed by a retaliatory attack on Ace.
As the investigation continues, the community is left grappling with the violent loss of Julio Foolio. With suspects behind bars and others still at large, the search for justice goes on.
