Prosecutors in Charlotte, North Carolina, dismissed charges Monday against the six men who were arrested in connection with a brazen daytimeshooting incident involving Waka Flocka Flame.
The February 16 shooting outside a car stereo store where Flocka was getting some work done on his tour bus took place while the rapper was getting his picture taken with some fans. While a spokesperson for the MC said in the aftermath of the incident — in which one man was injured — that it was related to an attempt by several men to steal jewelry from Waka (born Juaquin Malphurs) and his crew, the Charlotte Observer reported that prosecutors couldn't mount a strong case because they had little evidence to go on and none of the witnesses identified who was responsible for the shooting. There was also reportedly no evidence of an attempted robbery.
"We didn't have enough evidence to prosecute any of them," District Attorney Andrew Murray said. "The defendants are still in custody. That's why we need to dismiss the charges now. I'm not thrilled about having to dismiss these charges. Some of these guys have felony records."
Though there was no evidence from eyewitnesses, and no ability to place the men at the scene, the defendants themselves spoke to police and said they did not go there to rob anyone, but to "chill" and "holler at" the rapper and that if anyone did fire a gun, it was in response to shots from someone in Waka's entourage.
Murray's office was forced to drop the charges of attempted armed robbery, conspiracy and discharging a weapon into occupied property against the six men, whom police believe were involved in the shootout in the parking lot of Car Stereo Warehouse.
Waka's brother was identified as the intended victim of the alleged offense, but there was no evidence of a demand for property or display of a firearm, until the unnamed brother himself felt threatened and pulled a gun. "Thinking that something was going to happen is no evidence that these crimes occurred," prosecutors said.
An attorney for one of the defendants, Antonio Stukes, said his client was not trying to rob Waka, but was an innocent bystander who had gone there to talk about a potential record deal.
Last week, a grand jury cleared Waka of drug charges related to a 2010 raid on his Atlanta home. In April, he stopped by "RapFix Live" and discussed his various legal entanglements and non-music issues and said he was trying to rise above it all.
"A lot of situations I probably put myself into. So you just learn from your mistakes ... I don't think we're being targeted. I think God do a lot of stuff to let you know. ... It always stop you in your tracks," he said. "That's just situations God put you through so you be a stronger man, 'cause it didn't kill us, it just made us stronger. It's just to let you know like, 'Boy, you doing good, why would you go over here?' "