Weapons & Guns

The tragic deaths of three University of Virginia football players have rocked the sports world ... and many of the nation's top athletes -- including LeBron James and Patrick Mahomes -- are now reaching out to the campus to send their thoughts and prayers.

The Chiefs star QB and the NBA legend both sent out emotional tweets after learning that D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis and Devin Chandler had been shot and killed in a horrifying incident on the UVA campus on Sunday night.

James called it "Sad Sad Sad" with a crying emoji ... while Mahomes wrote simply, "Prayers for @UVAFootball."

Dozens of other athletes have sent their condolences to the trio's family members and the Cavaliers' community in wake of the deaths ... with Julian Edelman calling it all a "sad sad day in Virginia."

"If we don't do anything, nothing changes," the former New England Patriots star said on his Twitter page. "This has to stop. Now."

Former NFL star and UVA alum Thomas Jones added in a tweet of his own that he was "sending love & light to the families & friends of the victims as well as the entire #VirginiaFootball program."

Arizona Cardinals star DeAndre Hopkins also shared his condolences ... and acknowledged how Davis' last Instagram post was about a play he made during Sunday's game against the Rams.

"My prayers go out to the whole UVA community today. Especially to the families, friends, and fans of Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry, and Devin Chandler," he said.

"These men were taken too soon and for no reason. The last post on Lavel’s story was a play from my game yesterday and it is a reminder that everyday here on this earth is a blessing and a gift. Make the best of it. Rest In Peace my brothers 🖤."

As we reported, officials say Perry, Davis and Chandler were all killed after they were shot on a bus in a UVA parking structure after they had just returned from a class field trip.

Police say former Cavalier running back Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., who left the team over a year ago but remained a student on campus, was the gunman.

Alec Baldwin has taken the offense in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins ... as he remains under the D.A.'s microscope for possible criminal prosecution, he's filed suit against some crew members, arguing they're to blame -- not him.

Alec's accusing 4 crew members  -- Chief Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, Assistant Director Dave Halls, Prop Master Sarah Zachry and the gun supplier Seth Kenney -- of failing to safeguard the film set.

According to the lawsuit, “This tragedy happened because live bullets were delivered to the set and loaded into the gun.”

It goes on, “Gutierrez-Reed failed to check the bullets or the gun carefully, Halls failed to check the gun carefully and yet announced the gun was safe before handing it to Baldwin, and Zachry failed to disclose that Gutierrez-Reed had been acting recklessly off set and was a safety risk to those around her."

Alec “seeks to clear his name” and hold the crew members “accountable for their misconduct.”

He also pointed a guilty finger at Kenney, the film's gun supplier, for “haphazardly” storing all the bullets, according to the suit. The lawsuit references an F.B.I report, stating prop specialist Zachry and armorer Gutierrez-Reed failed to monitor the live rounds on the New Mexico set of "Rust."

As we reported ... The DA in Santa Fe Mary Carmack-Altwies has made it clear she might charge Alec and others criminally. Carmack-Altwies is currently reviewing the matter after the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office recently turned over its investigative file.

Uvalde voters turning out in droves to reelect Texas Governor Greg Abbott -- despite the town's recent school massacre -- is not sitting well with some of the families whose children were murdered.

Kimberly Mata Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was among the 21 victims in May's deadly school shooting, tells TMZ ... she's disturbed more than 60% of the vote in Uvalde County went to Abbott.

The way Kimberly sees it ... Abbott hasn't done anything to curb gun violence or prevent another school shooting from happening in Texas in the 6 months since the Uvalde elementary school shooting ... so she's not sure why folks there keep supporting Abbott at the ballot box.

While Kimberly says she's not surprised Abbott won reelection in Texas, a traditionally red state, she's disgusted to see so much support for Abbott in a community mourning 19 children killed by guns.

Abbott was running against Beto O'Rourke, who confronted Abbott after the Uvalde shooting, telling the governor his apathy towards gun control made the attack "totally predictable." Texas voters didn't buy O'Rourke's message ... he got trounced in a landslide.

Alfred Garza III, whose daughter Amerie died in the Uvalde shooting, echoed some of Kimberly's feelings about the election, telling TMZ ... he's outraged to see so many people voting for a gun advocate.

Takeoff’s life is being celebrated in the exact Houston location where he was shot and killed.

The memorial for the Migos rapper -- complete with flowers, photos, heart-shaped balloons, and a sign that reads "R.I.P Takeoff" -- was set up outside of 810 Billiards & Bowling, right in the hallway where someone opened fire last week following an argument with Quavo.

As we reported, the hail of gunfire struck Takeoff and 2 other people, who survived their injuries.

Fans are flocking there to pay their respects by leaving lit candles. They've also removed petals from flowers and placed them on the ground in a line to symbolize Takeoff resting in peace.

Let It Slide -- a nonprofit anti-violence organization -- traveled from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to the memorial site to spread their message ... stopping the bloodshed and choosing peace.

As we reported, Takeoff's funeral will be held Friday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Al Sharpton is laying into individuals who blame hip hop culture for Takeoff's homicide, and says social media only fools you into thinking rappers are more violent than society, at-large.

We caught up with Rev. Al Wednesday in NYC, where he pointed out hip hop is filled with artists who are responsible and actively lift up their communities. He says it's unfortunate the advent of social media helps to amplify violent incidents way more than the good ones.

The Rev accurately pointed out all the other music genres where violence has occurred for decades -- and he largely agreed with what Method Man told us about the Takeoff tragedy.

The Wu-Tang Clan star was peeved over the slain Migos rapper's passing, and equally annoyed over all the scapegoating of rap.

In fact, Rev. Al is giving hip hop credit for being proactive when it comes to spreading awareness against gun violence.

Late 1980s rap songs such as Stop the Violence Movement's "Self Destruction" and West Coast All Stars' "We're All In The Same Gang" are evidence of that.

Sharpton also recalls R&B singers getting into shootouts before the dominance of rap ... a fact to which superproducer Teddy Riley can cosign.

In 1989, entourages for Teddy's group Guy and New Edition began beefing ... leading to NE’s production manager Ronald Byrd fatally shooting Guy’s security chief, Anthony Bee.

Quality Control’s Bankroll Freddie hopefully can find time to exercise “patience” like his recent hit with Lil Baby suggests -- the feds are charging the Arkansas rapper in a firearms and drug case.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Hip Hop the 28-year Freddie Gladney was part of a massive 61-count indictment ... along with 34 other defendants, and is currently in custody.

We're told Wednesday's round-up is part of a larger investigation involving around 70 people all facing similar charges and circumstances.

According to the indictment, Freddie and his East AR crew conspired to sell massive amounts of crack cocaine and marijuana between March 2021 to October 2022.

Freddie is also facing weapons charges for allegedly possessing multiple firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

We're told the feds also seized jewelry and cash from several of the defendants totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Philly rapper Tierra Whack had a rough time at her hometown airport ... the enigmatic lyricist was detained and cited for disorderly conduct after she allegedly brought a loaded gun into the building.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Hip Hop Tierra's bag was searched by Homeland Security officials at an X-ray checkpoint inside Philadelphia International Airport ... when they discovered the gun loaded with 6 live rounds in the magazine and none in the chamber.

We're told authorities believe it was an honest mistake and Tierra wasn't intentionally trying to bring the weapon onboard ... nor did she intend to hurt someone.

Tierra is actually licensed to carry a firearm in the state of Pennsylvania ... but that doesn’t mean you can bring it on an airplane, which is prohibited under federal law. We’re told the gun was confiscated and, after a short detention, Tierra was issued a disorderly conduct citation and released.

TSA agents in South Florida aren't pullin' anyone's wing after confiscating a raw chicken -- one that turned out to be fully loaded.

The Transportation Security Administration posted the raw crime Monday ... showing the offending bird stuffed with a handgun after it was seized at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The bird seemed to be completely packaged, with the firearm wrapped up tight in plastic and then jammed into the bird ... a pretty dangerous spin on the whole Turducken craze.

Chickens -- raw or cooked -- are ok to travel with passengers, according to TSA's guidelines, but obviously, firearms inside said chicken ... ain't gonna fly.

FYI -- the airports in FL have seen a MAJOR spike in illegal guns at security checkpoints ... with 700 total found across the state so far this year, but we're guessing nothing like this.

Diddy went above and beyond to make sure his guests were safe at his birthday party ... making sure security was on point after a gun issue caused a scene the last time he hosted a shindig.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the legendary rap mogul had super tight security Friday night for his 53rd birthday bash, with everyone in attendance passing through a metal detector before being allowed inside.

The party went down at Diddy's Los Angeles mansion and we're told one of the streets by his estate was shut down. Our sources say guests were shuttled up to the house, and if they weren't on the list, they were turned away ... no exceptions.

It appears Diddy wasn't taking any chances after what happened this past summer, when he hosted a BET after-party at the same property -- as we first reported, a woman trying to make her way into the after-party was arrested outside Diddy's house after allegedly flashing a gun at other partygoers.

The beefed-up security also follows some recent fatal gun violence involving rappers Takeoff and PnB Rock, who were both shot dead.

Diddy's security seemed to work too ... we're told there were no issues surrounding the party.

As we reported ... Diddy's bash was crawling with celebs, including Travis Scott, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, French Montana, Machine Gun Kelly, Teyana Taylor, Tinashe and Jermaine Dupri and Kehlani.

21 Savage doesn't appear on the "Her Loss" album nearly as much as Drake ... but the Slaughter Gang rapper still maximized his greasy talk over the bubbly R&B production.

On the solo track, "3AM on Glenwood" ... 21 borrows the script from Drake's famed "timestamp" series ... where he lyrically floats streams of consciousness in the studio during the middle of the night.

A couple of those streams target YouTuber Charleston White for his infamous altercation with Soulja Boy and Ma$e ... who's been getting dragged all year by Fivio Foreign over an alleged lopsided contract.

21 boldly raps, "See my opps, I jump out and chase them/I ain't Charleston White, n***a, I'll never Mace® them/Love for all my artists, nigga, I'll never Mase them ... Shit, that's probably why they hate him."

The track also features several references to gunplay, such as "spraying witnesses" -- an odd verse for 21 to drop after his viral tweet earlier this year urging ATL residents to put down their guns.

Ironically, he also raps on the track ... "Hope you know you gotta stand on all that s**t you been tweetin'"

Not long after the album was released, a viral tweet calculated 21's involvement on the album ... and it's less than half of Drake's contributions to the project.

Drake got plenty off his chest this go around, after spending his last album mostly crooning over EDM tracks.

Method Man isn't trying to hide his frustrations ... not only over Takeoff's death, but also over hip hop culture shouldering the blame for rap slayings.

We caught up with him Thursday in NYC and asked about escalated violence taking out so many more artists ... especially compared to his peak as an OG Wu-Tang Clan member.

Meth sarcastically scoffed at the question, suggesting it was the skinny jeans that changed the culture -- but then he got serious about the notion criminality is driving the culture.

In fact, he wasn't willing to even offer his two cents on potential solutions. Meth urged people to look closer at the circumstances in each case of violence ... instead of always blaming hip hop culture.

He adds ... it simply isn't always the artists' fault.

Jemele Hill says she's had enough with rappers dying from gun violence ... and wants to see folks come together to talk about how to stop it once and for all.

We got Jemele at LAX Wednesday and asked her for solutions following Takeoff's death in Houston ... she's calling on artists, record labels and politicians to start tough conversations on gun violence.

While Jemele senses some of these talks may be going on behind closed doors ... she highlights why it's important to discuss issues and solutions surrounding gun violence in a public forum.

As we reported ... Takeoff was shot and killed this week while visiting Houston, the coroner's reports says bullets struck the Migos rapper in the head and torso.

Jemele also has strong thoughts on the practice of rappers "checking in" with certain people wherever they are traveling -- comparing it to "some slave s***." She says Black people should never have to feel unsafe going into another area.

For Jemele, she wants industry leaders to say enough is enough after the shooting deaths of Takeoff and PnB Rock -- lamenting the fact nothing's really changed since Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur were gunned down back in the day.

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested for his alleged role in the shooting of Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson back in August ... cops confirmed to TMZ Sports on Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Police Department said the teen -- who was 16 at the time of the Aug. 28 incident -- was hit with a criminal charge of assault with intent to rob while armed (gun).

The boy's identity was not disclosed.

Cops added they are still on the hunt for an additional suspect ... who they say was captured on surveillance video brandishing a gun at the scene of the crime.

As we reported, Robinson was shot two times -- once in the glute and once in the knee -- after cops say two males attempted to rob him outside of a row of businesses in D.C.

Cops say after the suspects fired on the NFL player ... they fled the scene in a vehicle.

Robinson required surgery to fix the damage caused by the bullets -- but ultimately made a full recovery. He played in his first-ever game on Oct. 9 ... and has logged snaps in every Washington contest since.

Young Thug and Gunna's label head Kevin Liles is campaigning for their freedom, and he's also dismissing the notion hip hop culture played a part in Takeoff's death.

Kevin helped foster Migos' career with Coach K and Pee Thomas and Wednesday morning on "The Breakfast Club," he lamented Takeoff's slaying -- blaming it more on Black-on-Black conditioning and the "oppressive" U.S.A. for disillusioning Black people's values.

He cited several issues ... lack of education, poverty, racism and guns themselves as the culture's true killers, and chalked up rappers' explicit lyrics to simple education.

When pressed by Charlamagne about the content of rappers' lyrics and their potential psychological influence, Kevin deflected and cited Johnny Cash, Freddie Mercury and even Bob Marley's song "I Shot the Sheriff" as comparable cases.

Later in the interview, Kevin called Young Thug and Gunna "pillars" of the community amid their massive RICO case, and called out the justice system for having them sit behind bars for nearly a year ahead of the trial.

Kevin thinks their case will jeopardize the development of future Spike Lees or Steven Spielbergs -- as prosecuting rappers for select song lyrics could ultimately stifle creativity in all art forms.

Migos rapper Takeoff was shot multiple times, resulting in his death ... according to the report from the medical examiner's office.

The Harris County Medical Examiner lists Takeoff's primary cause of death as "penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm."

As we reported, Takeoff was gunned down after shots rang out following an argument outside a Houston bowling alley early Tuesday morning.

In video obtained by TMZ, you see Takeoff's Migos partner Quavo in an argument before the shooting starts. Takeoff was standing just inches from Quavo during the heated exchange, but at no point did he seem to be a part of the back and forth.

While it's currently unclear who fired the fatal shots, we've also obtained video of one man holding a gun in the seconds leading up to the gunfire. Cops tell us that man is currently a person of interest in the death investigation.

A statement from Migos representatives Tuesday read, "Senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated." Quavo and Offset have not yet made public statements about Takeoff's murder, though Offset did change his Instagram avatar to a photo of the rapper.

Takeoff was only 28.

An armed man, standing just feet away from Takeoff and Quavo moments before the fatal shots, is now a person of interest in the rapper's death ... TMZ has learned.

We obtained this video -- a new angle of what went down only seconds prior to the gunfire -- and you can see a man dressed in black, with a black satchel and a handgun in his right hip pocket.

You can very clearly see the weapon in the man's pocket -- he has his hand on it -- as Quavo was involved in the heated discussion that preceded the gunfire.

In fact, Quavo, in the bright orange shirt, walks behind the man 2 seconds before the first shot is fired.

Now, there's nothing in the video proving the man fired the first shot, but about 5 seconds later he is seen raising his weapon and seemingly firing it. It's unclear where Takeoff or Quavo were in relation to him at that moment.

Houston PD tells us they have seen this video, and have deemed the man a person of interest. They have not identified him yet.

As we reported, Takeoff was standing a few feet behind Quavo early Tuesday morning outside the Houston bowling alley when things got heated.

After the gunfire -- at least 10 shots were fired -- Takeoff had been hit in the head, and was pronounced dead on the scene.

Two other people suffered non-life-threatening injuries.