(NEW YORK) — Drug overdose deaths in New York state spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from the state comptroller’s office.
The analysis, published Tuesday, found that fatalities surged by 68% between 2019 and 2021.
Additionally, the more than 5,800 deaths statewide from drugs in 2021 surpassed the previous peak in 2017 by more than 1,700.
“Too many New Yorkers have died from the misuse of drugs, but the jump in these numbers is alarming,” comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in a statement. “It is a tragedy that devastates families and impacts our communities in countless ways.”
The report also found that the number of deaths linked to opioids has skyrocketed.
In 2021, the rate of opioid overdoses was 25 per 100,000 in New York, a spike from five per 100,000 in 2010.
Additionally, the report found there were disparities in drug overdose fatalities across racial and ethnic groups.
During the pandemic, death rates rose fivefold for Black residents and quadrupled for Hispanic residents. White New Yorkers also saw a rise in drug overdose deaths, with rates tripling during the pandemic.
“The data shows our battle against drug overdose deaths is far from over,” DiNapoli’s statement continued. “State leaders must ensure an ongoing commitment of public resources and strategies, including new funding from legal settlements, and innovative, evidence-based solutions for the fight against this deadly epidemic to be effective.”
The trends in New York reflect those seen on a national level. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year showed that more than 100,000 Americans died of a drug overdose during the first year of the pandemic.
It’s a 29% increase from the same period in 2019 and equates to a person dying every five minutes.
According to the CDC, many of those drug fatalities were due to opioids, particularly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
(NEW YORK) — A new study from Montclair State University showed a dramatic increase in hate speech on Twitter immediately following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media platform.
Musk, who describes himself as a free speech absolutist, closed the deal on the platform on Thursday, Oct. 27. He said he promised to reduce Twitter’s content restrictions to promote free speech, yet no official changes have been made since the acquisition aside from the announcement of a to-be-formed “content moderation council” that will review company policies.
“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk said in a statement when the deal was announced.
Some online have expressed concerns about what they see as a rise in misinformation and hate speech on one of the most popular social media sites.
Despite the lack of changes to content restrictions, some researchers say that a number users seemed to take Musk’s leadership as an open invitation to spread hate online.
Montclair State University researchers who studied how often certain homophobic, antisemitic and racial hate terms were used found no more than 84 tweets featuring hate terms were posted per hour when looking at the seven-day average before Musk acquired Twitter. This totals to just over 1,000 tweets in 12 hours.
On Oct. 28, in the first 12 hours following Musk’s acquisition, hate speech was tweeted an estimated 4,778 times, according to the report.
“The character of what Twitter will look like with Musk as the head remains speculative, despite his stated intentions,” the report reads. “What is not speculative, however, is the extent to which his date of formal acquisition was celebrated by racist and extremist users on the platform.”
The Montclair State researchers found that the potential number of times a term posted in Twitter could have been viewed was more than 3 million.
In similar research by the cyber research organization National Contagion Research Institute, the use of the N-word racial epithet skyrocketed by over 500% on the website on Oct. 28.
(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Liz Cheney said the House Jan. 6 committee is in talks with former President Donald Trump’s lawyers about his potential testimony.
“The committee is in discussions with President Trump’s attorneys and he has an obligation to comply,” Cheney, the vice chair of the committee, said Tuesday during a discussion with PBS journalist Judy Woodruff at Cleveland State University.
“We treat this and take this very seriously,” Cheney added. “This is not a situation where the committee is going to put itself at the mercy of Donald Trump in terms of his efforts to create a circus.”
The House committee took the historic step of formally issuing a subpoena to Trump on Oct. 21.
Trump faces his first deadline this Friday, Nov. 4, the date the subpoena requires him to turn over documents. The subpoena also requires him to appear for one or more days of deposition beginning around Nov. 14.
“As demonstrated in our hearings, we have assembled overwhelming evidence, including from dozens of your former appointees and staff, that you personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power,” Cheney and Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., wrote in a letter to Trump.
Trump has not publicly said whether or not he will cooperate with the subpoena. According to sources familiar with his thinking, Trump told advisers he’d welcome a live appearance before the panel. It doesn’t appear the committee is willing to give Trump the benefit of an unfiltered megaphone to repeat falsehoods about the 2020 election.
David Warrington, an attorney for Trump, said the day the issue was subpoenaed they would “review and analyze it, and will respond as appropriate to this unprecedented action.”
Committee members have been split about whether they would want Trump to testify in a live setting, but the panel’s been clear that any testimony would need to happen under oath.
“We haven’t made determinations about the format itself but it will be done under oath, it will be done potentially over multiple days,” Cheney told Woodruff on Tuesday. “We have significant questions based on the evidence that we’ve developed and what we know already about the extent to which he was personally and directly involved in every aspect of the effort.”
Woodruff pressed Cheney on the odds that Trump will testify or not.
“I think he has a legal obligation to testify but that doesn’t always carry weight with Donald Trump,” Cheney said.
Asked if she believes the committee should make a criminal referral to the Justice Department should Trump refuse to comply, Cheney said she didn’t want to get ahead of the panel’s work.
“The committee has been working in a very collaborative way and I would anticipate we won’t have disagreements about that, but we’ll have to make those decisions as we come to it,” she said.
The Jan. 6 committee will conclude its work by the end of the year and produce a report on its findings and recommendations to Congress.
– ABC News’ Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
(DENVER) — The tax fraud trial against former President Donald Trump’s namesake company has paused just one day after it began when the first witness on the stand tested positive for COVID-19.
Jeff McConney, the Trump Organization’s controller, tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday after informing the court he wasn’t feeling well. McConney was on the witness stand for a second day at the criminal trial of the former president’s family business.
The judge adjourned the trial until Monday.
The contours of the criminal case against Trump’s company took shape Monday when McConney was shown entries from the Trump Organization’s general ledger.
McConney, who has been employed by the Trump Organization for 35 years, was shown entries for lease payments on former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg’s Mercedes Benz, which prosecutors have said were part of Weisselberg’s compensation that was never accounted for on taxes.
Weisselberg has already pleaded guilty to tax evasion in connection with the case. The organization has pleaded not guilty and the former president is not on trial himself.
On Monday, McConney described his close relationship with Weisselberg, to whom he reported “from the day I started” at the Trump Organization until the day Weisselberg stopped being chief financial officer following his arrest. The two had lunch daily and attended each other’s family events.
McConney faced a number of questions about the company’s accounting as prosecutors seek to show certain documents and records were altered to help Weisselberg and other executives evade taxes during a 15-year period beginning in 2005.
In opening statements, the defense said whatever actions were taken by Weisselberg were done for his benefit only and not for the benefit of the company.
“Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg,” defense attorney Michael van der Veen said during opening statements.
McConney testified he remains employed by the Trump Organization, making $450,000 per year in salary and benefits. The company is paying for his attorney and McConney conceded he met with the defense Sunday to discuss his testimony.
“He’s a textbook adverse witness,” prosecutor Josh Steinglass said.
Judge Juan Merchan declined to declare McConney a hostile witness, which would have allowed prosecutors to ask more leading questions.
Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The 2022 campaign is shaping up to be a historic, decisive moment in American politics.
From our reporters across the country, ABC News brings you all the latest on what the candidates are saying and doing — and what voters want to happen in November’s midterm elections.
For more from ABC News’ team of reporters embedded in battleground states, watch “Power Trip: Those Seeking Power and Those Who Chase Them” on Hulu , with new episodes on Sunday.
Here is the latest from the campaign trail. All times Eastern.
Nov 01, 4:23 PM EDT
Republican Rep. Liz Cheney endorses Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Tim Ryan
Rep. Liz Cheney, who was ousted from office this year in Wyoming after voting to impeach former President Donald Trump, has endorsed Rep. Tim Ryan in his senate bid in Ohio, the latest Democrat to garner Cheney’s endorsement, the first being Rep. Elissa Slotkin, whom the Wyoming representative is planning to stump for at a campaign event later this evening in Lansing, Michigan.
Cheney said during an appearance at Cleveland State University today that members of her party should reject Ryan’s opponent J.D. Vance and other candidates who support Trump’s unproven claims about voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
When asked by PBS Newshour anchor Judy Woodruff whether Cheney would run for president on 2024, she didn’t deny she was considering it.
“I think the most important question is whether we as a nation are going to do what we have to do to preserve the republic,” said Cheney.
“That’s really what I’m focused on.”
–ABC News’ Paulina Tam
Nov 01, 4:18 PM EDT
Biden to travel San Diego on Thursday for endangered House Democrat Rep. Mike Levin
The White House said Tuesday afternoon that President Joe Biden will travel to San Diego on Thursday to support Rep. Mike Levin’s reelection efforts to represent California’s 49th Congressional District, which encompasses parts of San Diego and Orange County.
The two-term incumbent Democrat is locked in a tight rematch race against Republican Bryan Maryott.
Biden’s trip comes as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced its final round of “Red Alert” candidates — or Democratic incumbents and candidates who need “immediate resources.”
Levin topped the list.
Levin defeated Republican Diane Harkey by more than 13 points in 2018, and then by 7 points against Maryott in 2020. The district has now turned slightly more Republican through redistricting.
Nov 01, 12:44 PM EDT
Arizona Libertarian Senate candidate drops out of race, throws support to GOP nominee Blake Masters
Arizona’s Libertarian Senate candidate Marc Victor dropped out of the race on Tuesday, putting his support behind Blake Masters, the Republican nominee.
His move, made a week ahead of Election Day, gives Trump-backed Masters a further boost as Victor’s candidacy was forecasted to split off some of the Republican vote in the race to unseat incumbent Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly.
Victor told ABC News in a written statement Tuesday that Blake Masters approached him, agreeing to the Libertarian’s offer to both his opponents on “why it was in the interests of freedom, peace, and civility for me to step down and endorse either of them.” Their taped conversation “impressed” the Libertarian, Victor said, prompting him to drop out.
“I publicly offered to meet with either Mark Kelly or Blake Masters to have an unscripted discussion about why it was in the interests of freedom, peace, and civility for me to step down and endorse either of them,” Victor told ABC News.
“Blake Masters availed himself of that opportunity yesterday, and we had a public conversation where I asked him whatever I wanted. I was impressed with Blake Masters and his commitment to being a Live and Let Live Senator from Arizona,” Victor told ABC.
In the [,]() Victor said this decision to drop out one week before Election Day will make some people “very upset” and others “very happy.”
Masters responded to the new support in a campaign press release.
“Marc Victor joins a growing list of Arizonans from across the political spectrum who are fed up with open borders, big government corruption, and rising crime. We are building a broad coalition to defeat the worst Senator in America. This is another major boost of momentum as we consolidate our support against the extreme and radical policies of Mark Kelly and Joe Biden. Live and Let Live,” Masters said.
Victor will still be on the ballot, but any votes cast for him will not be tabulated, according to a spokesperson at the secretary of state’s office.
(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger on Tuesday said his department is looking at providing added security for members of Congress after last week’s assault on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband.
“The USCP has engaged in a review of Friday’s incident,” Manger said in a statement. “We believe today’s political climate calls for more resources to provide additional layers of physical security for Members of Congress. This plan would include an emphasis on adding redundancies to the measures that are already in place for Congressional leadership. Hopefully you can understand that we cannot disclose the details about these improvements because our country cannot afford to make it easier for any potential bad actors.”
A man allegedly broke into the Pelosi home and assaulted Paul Pelosi, in what the San Francisco District Attorney called politically motivated violence.
Manger said, after the shootings of both Rep. Gabby Giffords and Rep. Steve Scalise, his agency has made security improvements, but today’s threat landscape means improvements are “increasingly urgent.”
Capitol Police are considering extending protection to families, according to sources, but no decision has been made.
“The USCP has worked diligently to investigate reported threats, improve intelligence collection and analysis, and strengthen our partnerships with law enforcement agencies across the country to provide security for Members when they are traveling outside Washington, DC,” he said.
Threats against lawmakers have more than doubled since 2017, according to USCP statistics provided to ABC News. In 2017, there were nearly 4,000 and in 2021 there were nearly 10,000.
After the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Police went through a large-scale department overhaul, according to the agency, making changes from top to bottom.
“While progress has been made, there is still a lot of work to do,” Manger said. “The Department’s long-term plans to expand our protective operations are already underway — their importance only emphasized by Friday’s brutal attack. We will continue to work with our Congressional partners to add additional agents and security enhancements to support our protective operations mission.”
He said the department monitors “thousands” of cases across the country and their mission remain unchanged.
“During this time of heightened political tension, we continue to monitor thousands of cases across the country — in an effort to stop potential threats before they make headlines,” he said. Over the past five years, 12% of cases in which USCP has identified making threats have been prosecuted.
“We hope to see more of these cases prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
(OMAHA, Neb.) — An investigation is underway after a driver “recklessly” went through a barricaded area during a Halloween event in Omaha, Nebraska, and was shot by an officer, police said.
The incident occurred shortly after 7 p.m. Monday in a residential area of Omaha where the street had been closed off to cars for trick-or-treating.
Officers who were handing out candy at the event were alerted that someone was “driving recklessly” down the boulevard, the Omaha Police Department said in a press release. The driver was traveling in the wrong direction with no headlights on, police said.
One of the officers ran in front of the car and “gave multiple loud verbal commands to the driver and held out his hand gesturing for the driver to stop the vehicle,” police said.
When the driver continued to move toward the officer, the officer fired multiple times, striking him, before the car stopped, police said. Police did not specify how many times the driver was hit.
Video obtained by ABC Omaha affiliate KETV shows a car slowing down before accelerating down the street. In another video obtained by KETV, several shots can be heard as a crowd gathered on lawns started to run.
Police identified the driver as 31-year-old Dontavius Levering. He received medical attention at the scene and was transported to a local hospital in serious condition, police said. He is expected to survive his injuries, police said Tuesday.
There was no one else in the car, police said.
Police urged people to avoid the area of Minne Lusa Boulevard and Newport Avenue Monday night amid the investigation.
“It’s extremely scary when that type of event happens obviously, with hundreds and hundreds of people, many children, and not expecting cars to be driving through around barricades,” Omaha police Lt. Neal Bonacci told reporters from the scene Monday night.
There are no reported injuries of anyone being struck by the car, police said.
The unidentified officer who fired his weapon has been placed on paid administrative leave amid the investigation.
Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — A commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday called on the U.S. government to ban social media platform TikTok over concerns about how the China-owned app handles the data of American users.
The remarks, made in an interview with Axios, come as the fast-growing app holds ongoing negotiations with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, about whether it can continue business in the U.S. if it is sold from Chinese parent company ByteDance to an American company.
Brendan Carr, one of five commissioners of the FCC, called on CFIUS to ban TikTok, citing the company’s alleged inability to secure the data of U.S.-based users.
There is not “a world in which you could come up with sufficient protection on the data that you could have sufficient confidence that it’s not finding its way back into the hands of the [Chinese Communist Party],” Carr told Axios.
The company told ABC News in a statement that Carr is not involved in negotiations with the U.S. government regarding the app.
“Commissioner Carr has no role in the confidential discussions with the U.S. government related to TikTok and appears to be expressing views independent of his role as an FCC commissioner,” said Brooke Oberwetter, a TikTok spokesperson.
“We are confident that we are on a path to reaching an agreement with the U.S. Government that will satisfy all reasonable national security concerns,” Oberwetter added.
The FCC did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on Carr’s statements.
The Biden administration and TikTok wrote up a preliminary agreement to address national security concerns posed by the app but obstacles remain in the negotiations, the New York Times reported in September.
TikTok says that it stores the data of U.S. users outside of China, and has never removed U.S. posts from the platform at the request of the Chinese government.
Recent news stories have called into question the security of user data.
Buzzfeed reported in June that TikTok engineers based in China gained access to intimate information on U.S. users, such as phone numbers. Forbes reported last month that ByteDance intended to use the app to access information on some users.
The Trump administration tried to ban TikTok in 2020, eventually calling on ByteDance to sell the app to a U.S. company. However, the sale never took place.
The remarks from Carr arrive less than a week before the midterm elections, after which a new Congress may take further steps to ban or limit the app.
(WASHINGTON) — With just a week until Election Day, Republican and Democratic party standard-bearers spanning the political spectrum are crisscrossing battleground states to rally with candidates in tight contests for federal and state offices.
Campaign events helmed by heavyweights like President Joe Biden, former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama and other high-profile political surrogates, including Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, will be in states with hotly-contested races over the upcoming week. They include Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Wisconsin, Florida, Maryland, New Mexico and California.
Three days before the election, on Saturday, Nov. 5, Biden, Trump and Obama all will be in Pennsylvania, a state that has seen razor-thin margins in one of the most consequential Senate races in the nation, one that could determine the balance of power in Congress. The contest to fill the Keystone State’s governor’s seat is similarly hard-fought, and its outcome will either embrace or stave off election denialism in a key governorship ahead of the 2024 presidential race.
Pennsylvania has seen some of the most political visitors this cycle, with Biden dropping into the commonwealth nine times this year. In September, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy unveiled his midterm election agenda in the state. According to an OpenSecrets analysis of federal campaign finance, the general election for the Senate race in Pennsylvania was the first to cross the $100 million outside-spending mark during the 2022 election cycle.
The three presidents’ involvement in rousing their bases ahead of the midterms has been vastly different.
Obama embarked on a campaign swing over the weekend — spending Friday in Georgia for Democratic candidates Stacey Abrams and Sen. Raphael Warnock. On Saturday, he traveled to Michigan for Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and then to Wisconsin for Democrats Gov. Tony Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is running for U.S. Senate.
But notably absent from the trail this past weekend, one of the last ahead of the highly-consequential election, was Biden, who spent Saturday at home in Delaware, casting an early vote in Wilmington with his granddaughter.
Meanwhile, two of the most prominent women of his administration — Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden — hit the road to campaign.
Harris traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, on Saturday for the state’s Democrats, again urging voters to get to the polls in the final 10 days before the midterms, as she did during a different stop in Pennsylvania on Friday.
The first lady hit the trail in New Hampshire, campaigning alongside Sen. Maggie Hassan.
Biden has bucked the idea that his party has little need for his involvement on the trail, as still skyrocketing inflation remains one of voters’ top priorities, saying that he’ll be “engaged” with midterm campaigning for the remainder of the week, visiting Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Mexico and California.
“I’m feeling good. I mean I’ve been in to, I guess now 36 constituencies, either campaigning for a specific candidate or going with a candidate who is doing some, like out at the bridge in Pittsburgh. And I’m going, I’m going to be going to the remainder of the week, I’m going to be engaged and I’m going to be back in Pennsylvania, going to be in Maryland, gonna be I believe in New Mexico, California,” he told reporters on Saturday — notably not mentioning some of the big states he has not visited, including Arizona, Nevada and Georgia.
Trump has taken a more hands-on approach throughout the election cycle, meddling deeply in the primary elections, unlike Biden and Obama.
In the weeks leading up to Nov. 8, Trump had hopscotched across Arizona, Nevada and Texas, with upcoming events in Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio.
Also hitting the trail in the coming week is Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, Trump’s political foe who has been championing conservative candidates that deviate strongly from debunked claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent. On Tuesday, however, she’ll cross party lines for her first campaign event of the general election cycle, for Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin in Michigan.
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, a two-time candidate for president, has notably been campaigning, perhaps appealing to a faction of the Democratic party further left than other surrogates might be able to.
He visited the Rio Grande Valley on Sunday, speaking at a rally here for Michelle Vallejo, the Democratic nominee for Texas’ 15th Congressional District. This week, he’ll be in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Another former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, has also made a number of appearances on the trail this cycle, this past week making trips to New Hampshire and Colorado for a slate of Democratic candidates. He’ll also visit Wisconsin this week.
Here’s what the upcoming week looks like on the campaign trail:
Tuesday, Nov. 1:
Michigan: Republican Rep. Liz Cheney will join Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin “Evening for Patriotism and Bipartisanship” in Lansing.
Nevada: Former President Barack Obama, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Gov. Steve Sisolak, and other down-ballot Democrats will rally in Las Vegas.
Florida: President Joe Biden travels to Fort Lauderdale to participate in a reception for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist.
Wisconsin: Sen. Cory Booker heads to Milwaukee next week to campaign alongside Mandela Barnes in a “Win for Wisconsin” bus tour focused on visiting student voter and Black voter engagement events.
Wednesday, Nov. 2:
Arizona: Former President Barack Obama travels to Phoenix, Arizona, for a campaign rally with Sen. Mark Kelly and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, Democratic nominee for governor.
Thursday, Nov. 3:
Iowa: Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in Sioux City, Iowa with Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Chuck Grassley.
New Mexico: President Joe Biden, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, and other New Mexico Democrats will attend a rally hosted by the Democratic Party of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
California: President Joe Biden will travel to San Diego, California, to participate in political event for 49th Congressional District candidate Mike Levin, a Democrat.
Friday, Nov. 4:
Wisconsin: Sen. Bernie Sanders will be in Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Madison in Wisconsin, with NextGen America and MoveOn Political Action.
Saturday, Nov. 5:
Pennsylvania: President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama travel to Philadelphia to campaign for John Fetterman, Josh Shapiro, and Pennsylvania Democrats down the ballot.
Former President Trump holds a rally at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where he’ll campaign for Doug Mastriano and Mehmet Oz along with “special guest speakers.”
Wisconsin: Sen. Bernie Sanders campaigns in Oshkosh, Wisconsin with NextGen America and MoveOn Political Action.
Michigan: Sen. Bernie Sanders is in Ann Arbor, Michigan with NextGen America and MoveOn Political Action.
Sunday, Nov. 6:
Florida: Former President Trump hosts a “Get Out the Vote Rally” in support of endorsed candidate and special guest Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida. Notably absent from the invitation is Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican up for reelection himself and who has traveled this campaign cycle for candidates like Lee Zeldin of New York and Adam Laxalt of Nevada.
Monday, Nov. 7:
Ohio: Former President Trump holds a rally in Vandalia, Ohio, to deliver remarks on behalf of Senate candidate J.D. Vance.
Maryland: President Biden heads to Maryland for an Election Day eve rally with the Democratic National Committee and Maryland candidates.
“President Joe Biden will join Democratic nominee for Maryland governor Wes Moore, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, and Maryland Democrats down the ballot for an Election Day eve GOTV rally,” the DNC advises.
–ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.
(HOUSTON) — Takeoff, a member of the hip-hop trio Migos, was shot and killed Tuesday morning in downtown Houston, the rapper’s attorney confirmed to ABC News.
“Along with my firm, I am devastated by the tragic death of Kirshnik Ball, known to his fans as Takeoff,” attorney Drew Findling told ABC News in a statement. “Takeoff was not only a brilliant musical artist with unlimited talent but also a uniquely kind and gentle soul. He will be greatly missed now and always.”
The Grammy-nominated artist, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, was 28.
Takeoff was attending a private event, along with fellow Migos member Quavo, when the shooting occurred, according to police.
Sgt. Michael Arrington of the Houston Police Department told reporters that officers were called at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday to the 1200 block of San Jacinto, where they found a Black man in his late 20s dead on the scene.
Arrington said police could not confirm the identity of the victim and would have more information after a review by the medical examiner. He did, however, confirm that Takeoff and Quavo were both present when the shooting occurred.
Tributes pour in for slain rapper PnB Rock as gun violence plagues the hip-hop community
The shooting took place at the 810 Billiards & Bowling in downtown Houston. Police said they found multiple shell casings on the third level of the venue.
“We were informed that there was a private party being held at the event last night that ended at approximately 1 a.m. But the party carried over till about 2 a.m. till they were cleared out. That’s when the shooting occurred,” Arrington said.
Police said two other men who were injured in the shooting and were transported to a local hospital.
“There were rappers at the party. We don’t know if they’re involved. It’s still the early process of the investigation,” Arrington said, adding that there were between 40-50 people present when the shooting occurred.
Police urged anyone with information about the shooting to contact the HPD homicide unit at 713-318-3600.
Migos rose to stardom in 2013 with their song “Versace.” The group is known for hits like “Motorsport,” featuring Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. Earlier this week Takeoff and Quavo, who are related, released a video for their song “Messy” off the duo’s newest album, “Only Built for Infinity Links.”
Takeoff’s death is the latest in a string of shootings and killings of prominent rappers in recent years, as well as up-and-coming local artists – from Chicago to New York City – who were shot and killed at a young age during attempted robberies or violence stemming from reported disagreements.
As tributes poured in on social media from fans and fellow artists in the wake of the news, a clip of Takeoff’s appearance on Revolt TV’s “Drink Champs” went viral.
“Of course you were shining before but you were dancing on this one … it was your time,” host N.O.R.E. told Takeoff.
“It’s time to pop it. It’s time to give me my flowers. I don’t want them when I ain’t here,” Takeoff said.
Snoop Dogg calls for ‘peace in hip-hop’ amid string of rapper killings
Hip-hop stars shared tributes and expressed their condolences on social media in the wake of Takeoff’s death.
“We lost a young legend,” Rick Ross tweeted.
“My best friend my bother, I don’t want to believe this I love you so much bro,” Rich the Kid tweeted. “I’m so sorry.”
Chance the Rapper, who shared a photo with Migos from one of his shows in 2013, wrote on Twitter that he is “broken hearted and confused this morning.”
“But I have to say Take is a one of a kind friend that would always acknowledge you, always make sure you was good and would always tell you keep God first. Man I wish I had more times to see u on this earth,” he added.
Meanwhile, Desiigner broke down in tears during an Instagram Live session on Tuesday, saying, “Why do we do this?” He also paid tribute to other rappers who were killed in recent years before declaring that he’s “done” with rap in an Instagram story.
ABC News’ Bonnie McLean and Jennifer Watts contributed to this report.
