Aspiring rapper Baby Cino has died after being shot just minutes after leaving a prison in Florida.
The 20-year-old rapper, whose real name was Timothy Starks, was taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade after being arrested on Tuesday, 15 March, when he was pulled over by members of Miami-Dade Police’s Robbery Intervention Detail unit.
He posted bond and was released at 2:10pm the following day, but within an hour he was ambushed by a gunman and shot dead.
The shooter targeted Starks while in the middle of traffic, causing the rapper's car to slam into a concrete barrier wall on the Palmetto Expressway. The shooter allegedly fired at least 40 times, and Starks died after being shot in the head while still wearing the wristband given to inmates at the correctional centre.
Advert
Miami-Dade police on Thursday publicly identified Starks as a victim of the shooting, along with a friend who picked him up from jail and who was wounded in the attack.
Detectives are yet to identify a suspect, but said in a press release a 'dark-coloured vehicle was seen fleeing the area at a high rate of speed.'
Multiple law enforcement sources cited by The Miami Herald have said the shooting is being investigated for links to a series of public ambushes which have taken place in recent months.
Advert
The attacks are believed to be connected to Miami street gangs, and include the deaths of rapper Wavy Navy Pooh, who was shot to death in his car, and Brianna Sutherland, who was ambushed while driving on Valentine’s Day. Investigators do not believe Sutherland was the intended target of that attack.
The song Baby Cino is perhaps best known for is his track Big Haiti Shottas, which has garnered thousands of views on YouTube.
The rapper's arrest came as police noticed he was moving 'as if he was concealing an object consistent with the shape of a firearm' after being pulled over, and upon searching the car police found a fully loaded Glock 32 gun. He was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center just before 2:00am on Wednesday morning before being released roughly 12 hours later.
Police are now working to determine if the rapper was followed after leaving the correctional centre, and if so how the attackers knew Starks was going to be released.
Advert
Corrections spokesperson Juan Diasgranados has confirmed Miami-Dade Police is 'handling the investigation and the surrounding circumstances regarding this incident.'
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Emily Brown