UK drill rapper Kay-O, who is best known for his song “AVEN9ERS,” has been convicted of murdering his rival Kacey Boothe.
Boothe was shot dead last August in Walthamstow, North-East London outside of a community centre, with Kay-O and three associates all convicted of the crime as well as conspiring to murder another man, Khalid Samanter.
The shooting was the result of a rivalry between two different gangs which those involved were associated with, and there had been a build up of violent incidents according to the police.
Per BBC News, the court was told that Kay-O and the three other defendants had planned to kill Samanter, who is a friend of Boothe’s outside of his child’s birthday party. It is believed that Samanter the main target and that it was not intentional to kill Boothe.
The gun used in the killing was said to have been previously used seven different times including to shoot Boothe’s brother Kyle in August 2020.
The court were also informed that Kay-O, in the days after the shooting, posted a video online entitled “Laughing Stock” in which he bragged about the murder.
The video remains pinned on Kay-O’s X account with the song later receiving a remix by Digga D, who’s album Noughty by Nature topped the UK Album Chart in April 2022.
Police discovered Kay-O was the killer by looking at CCTV and could view him escaping the scene of the shooting in a stolen car. He, along with the others who were convicted, will be sentenced at the same court next month, on a date that is yet to be confirmed.
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The four found guilty of his murder this week are Ka’mani Brightly-Donaldson, Kammar Henry-Richards (Kay-O), Joao Pateco-te and Jeffrey Gyimah.
Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith, whose team carried out the investigation, said: “I am pleased to see these men held responsible for their actions and hope this serves as a warning to other people who involve themselves in gang related violence, that we will take robust action.
“Ultimately, a family have lost their loved one and for this my thoughts remain with Kacey’s family and friends at this time. I hope today’s verdict will help them to move forward.”
He praised his officers for their “tenacious and dedicated investigation, trawling through hours of CCTV, analysing mobile phones and speaking with a number of witnesses to piece together the exact movements of these individuals prior to this deadly attack.”