Fatal Shooting at Tampa Holiday Inn Claims Florida Rapper Julio Foolio’s Life, Injures 3

Julio Foolio, a Florida rapper, was fatally shot early Sunday morning at a Tampa Holiday Inn, as reported by multiple sources.

According to Tampa police, the incident occurred around 4:40 a.m. in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn located at the intersection of Fowler Avenue and McKinley Drive.

Witnesses indicated that the shooting began at Home2 Suites by Hilton adjacent to the Holiday Inn, where bullet holes were found and a window was boarded up, as discovered by 8 On Your Side.

“We’ve learned, early in our investigation, that two vehicles were targeted in the shooting,” stated Joneé Lewis, public information officer for the Tampa Police Department.

According to Lewis, one person died at the scene, and three others with gunshot wounds were transported to nearby hospitals. The deceased individual is believed to be a 26-year-old man named Charles Jones, pending confirmation by the medical examiner, police reported.

Investigators indicated that the victims were attempting to secure a hotel room at the time of the shooting.

“It seems like they will survive their injuries,” she said.

Lewis mentioned that police are reviewing surveillance footage to gather more details about the incident. They are also assisting hotel guests in navigating around the affected area.

“I only heard one gunshot,” remarked hotel guest Jeremiah Claypool. “It woke me up, but apparently there were more shots fired.”

As of now, no arrests have been made. Officers are actively seeking more video footage to help identify any potential suspects.

Charles Jones is the legal name associated with Julio Foolio. Though police have not officially verified this link, the rapper’s girlfriend, Blanco Mani, shared news of his passing on Instagram, which is currently set to private. She mentioned that he passed away after celebrating his birthday in Tampa, and she posted a photo of him from that evening.

On his Instagram story, the rapper documented his birthday celebration, which included a pool party at a Tampa AirBnB before he was reportedly asked to relocate by the police.

Part of a statement released Sunday evening from Jones’ lawyer read:

It is with deep sadness that we confirm Mr. Jones passed away early this morning.

Mr. Jones had been in Tampa to celebrate his birthday over the weekend. Law enforcement reports indiciate that he initally stayed at anAirbnb but was aksed to leave due to exceeding occupancy limits. He subsequently relocated to the Holiday Inn, where he was invovled in an incident in the hotel parking lot and rpeotedly ambushed.

News4Jax also confirmed Jones’ death with information from his attorney, Lewis Fusco. 8 On Your Side has also called the Fusco Law Group but did not get a response as of this report.