New video calls into question DaBaby’s self-defense claims in 2018 killing, report says
Previously unreleased security footage was obtained by Rolling Stone
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In November 2018, DaBaby—whose real name is Jonathan Kirk—shot and killed Jaylin Craig. After the shooting, Kirk alleged that Craig threatened him, and he said he acted in self-defense. Ultimately, he wasn’t charged for Craig’s death. However, per a Rolling Stone report, the rapper’s self-defense claims might not be the whole story.
Rolling Stone obtained the security footage that shows Craig’s final moments. In the clip, it appears that Kirk is the one who escalated the situation, turning the interaction from a verbal altercation into a physical one. Craig’s loved ones tell Rolling Stone that the altercation began when Kirk became annoyed at Craig and his friends, who were fans of the rapper, for noticing him while shopping with his family in Walmart.
The footage appears to show Kirk sucker-punching Henry Douglas, Craig’s best friend. According to Rolling Stone, Kirk left him with a bruised eye socket and a gash on his forehead; his injuries required stitches. The video appears to show Craig attempting to diffuse the fight, as Kirk continues to batter Douglas.
Per Rolling Stone, Craig appears to pull a gun from his waistband, but does not fire at Kirk in the clip, and instead, he puts the gun back. It is then that Kirk appears to pull out his own gun and shoots.
Though the case was dismissed after Kirk claimed to have acted in self-defense, he discussed the killing in his music. Days after shooting Craig, he put out the track “No Tears,” with a music video that features news footage of the incident. In the lyrics, he says that if anyone who tries to touch him, he will “catch a body like Boosie/Try me, I’m shootin’.” In the 2020 track “Rockstar,” DaBaby also has the line “My daughter a G, she saw me kill a n-gga in front of her before the age of two/And I’ll kill another n-gga too.”
When contacted by Rolling Stone, a representative for the district attorney’s office says they “reviewed the police investigative file and agreed with the Huntersville Police Department’s decision not to charge Mr. Kirk further, as prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense.”