Pop Smoke’s death in February 2020 didn’t just shock the music world. According to a former NYPD police chief, it also froze a growing investigation that had quietly been building behind the scenes.
NYPD Says Its Gang Probe Collapsed the Moment Pop Smoke Was Killed
The rapper was shot and killed during a home invasion in Los Angeles. Former NYPD chief John Chell says the moment the news broke, his team immediately halted what he described as a major gang case in progress.
Chell said his unit had been tracking several Brooklyn crews when Pop Smoke’s name began surfacing more often. “As we were cultivating this whole gang case, I believe he got murdered,” he recalled, adding that everything stopped “instantly.”
He also reflected on Pop Smoke’s rise in music, saying the young star had “a very distinct sound” that was already shifting the culture.
Pop Smoke’s Neighborhood Became a Hot Zone After His Death
Following his passing, his hometown of Canarsie continued to honor him with annual Pop Smoke Day gatherings. These events pulled massive crowds and often required heavy police presence due to the number of gang-affiliated individuals attending.
Chell said officers were regularly stationed in the area because tensions sometimes spiked. “A lot of gang members showed up. It got dangerous,” he admitted.
Pop Smoke Was Already on NYPD’s Radar Before His Fame Exploded
Before he died, Pop Smoke had surfaced in an NYPD investigation tied to multiple Brooklyn street groups, including the G Stone Crips. As his fame grew, investigators noticed his name popping up even more as he remained connected to friends still active in those crews.
Still, Chell insists they had very little on him personally. “He’s the up-and-coming star… we were into that gang, and he was part of it, but we didn’t have much on Pop,” he said.
The Rolls Royce Case Became a Key Moment for Investigators
One of the department’s biggest opportunities came in 2019, when Pop Smoke was accused of transporting a stolen Rolls Royce Wraith from California to New York. That arrest, Chell says, provided a potential opening for leverage.
“We made an arrest, and we tried to leverage that,” he explained, noting it’s a common tactic when celebrities maintain friendships with active gang members. “You might be running with the gang guys, and they’re your friends. But you’ve got a lot more to lose.”
Investigators Believe His Career Was Just Taking Off
Chell emphasized that Pop Smoke was on the brink of superstardom and had far more to lose than the people around him. The NYPD’s interest, he says, was less about Pop himself and more about the influence he carried in the streets at a critical moment in New York’s gang landscape.
Baller Alert will continue to follow any new revelations tied to the case.
