The mother of Drakeo the Ruler, who died after being stabbed at the Once Upon a Time music festival in Los Angeles over the weekend, says she intends to sue over her son’s death.
Drakeo – real name Darrell Wayne Caldwell – was reportedly stabbed in the neck during an altercation at the festival on December 18, before being hospitalised and later declared dead the following day. The festival was subsequently shut down.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, the rapper’s mother, Darrylene Corniel, said, “I need this to be out there. I need people to know. And I do want justice for my son. And I do believe that justice will be served. I will not rest until justice is served.”
Corniel added that she belies security at the venue the festival was held at – the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park – failed, and she intends to sue. “This happened backstage at an event. Someone has to be held accountable,” she said.
According to Rolling Stone, the incident took place in a backstage area where those who entered were meant to pass through a metal detector and a screening area. “They let all these people in, and you’re not supposed to have all these people backstage. And your security is supposed to be in place,” Corniel said.
“The whole program should have been orchestrated a lot better than what it was. And there should have been more protection. Even if you have metal detectors, even if you pat them down, you let those people come in there. You had more people come in than you were supposed to. And you allowed them to jump my son. You didn’t protect my son.”
In a statement to Rolling Stone, the event’s promoters, Live Nation, said they were “extremely saddened” by Caldwell’s passing and that they were “doing everything we can to assist authorities in their investigation”.
Earlier this week, Caldwell’s partner Noel Bianca spoke out for the first time since the rapper’s death. “You asked me last Monday. ‘So does this mean we are soulmates’,” she wrote. “They took my baby from me on my birthday. I will never be the same without u my rib. Thank u for the prayers. God give me strength.”
In a follow-up post, she said: “If I had one birthday wish it would be for my man to be bear hugging me one more time. He gave me the best hugs. I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel right now. I just wish u were here Darrell.”
According to the LA Times, police are currently still searching for the person responsible for the stabbing. No arrests had been made as of Sunday morning (December 19).
“Detectives are still trying to figure things out,” Luis Garcia, an LAPD spokesperson, told the outlet.
Drakeo the Ruler released his debut album ‘The Truth Hurts’ this year after releasing 10 mixtapes between 2015 and 2021.
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