Three men have been arrested on murder charges in connection with the 2022 ambush shooting of Miami rapper Wavy Navy Pooh, authorities said.
Jakari Darryl Hardaway, 22, and Jeremiah Bernard Longsworth and Raymond Araluce, both 24, are facing charges including second-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy in the fatal shooting, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office officials said Thursday.
The shooting happened back on January 14, 2022, as the 27-year-old rapper was driving in the area of Southwest 127th Avenue and 152nd Street, just blocks from Zoo Miami.
The rapper, whose real name was Shandler Beaubien, was stopped at a red light when the driver of a gray Lexus drove up to his vehicle and someone opened fire.
The rapper’s two children who were inside the car, ages 5 and 1, and their mother were not hurt.
Dashcam footage from a car nearby captured the barrage of bullets being fired at the rapper’s car.
Over 80 bullet casings were later recovered at the scene, arrest reports said.
According to the arrest reports, Beaubien, the mother and the children were leaving the zoo where they were celebrating the 1-year-old’s birthday.
A Miami Police sergeant who was in the area witnessed the shooting and tried to stop the Lexus but it fled, the reports said.
Investigators later discovered Hardaway rented the Lexus from a private owner and had picked up Longsworth and Araluce the day of the shooting, the reports said.
The Lexus arrived at Zoo Miami and waited in the parking lot for the rapper to leave, then followed him to a nearby Walmart then to the intersection where the shooting happened, the reports said.
The Lexus was later found abandoned in Sunrise.
Detectives obtained cellphone records that showed Hardaway texted various people “Navy wet” shortly after the shooting, the reports said.
He also took credit for the murder in a Telegram chat, the reports said.
Hardaway spoke with investigators on Wednesday but said he didn’t remember renting the Lexus and didn’t know Longsworth, Araluce or Wavy Navy Pooh, even though Longsworth and Araluce admitted they know Hardaway, the reports said.
Longsworth was booked into jail Thursday morning, while Araluce and Hardaway have been behind bars on unrelated charges, records showed.
“No matter how much time has passed, our investigators will continue to work to bring those responsible to justice and to bring closure to the victims’ loved ones,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Thursday.
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