Former Migos Rapper Hospitalized After Being Shot Outside Florida Casino

Offset, whose name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, is in stable condition. Police are trying to identify suspects.

(L-R) Offset, Quavo, and Takeoff of Migos arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in the Manhattan borough of New York on May 7, 2018. Carlo Allegri/Reuters

Rapper Offset, founding member of the former Atlanta hip-hop trio Migos, is in stable condition after being shot outside a Florida casino.

The 34-year-old, whose name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, was rushed to the hospital Monday evening after a dispute at a valet area of the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, north of Miami.

The shooting resulted in non-life-threatening injuries, but the artist is being closely monitored.

According to the Seminole Police Department in Broward County, two people were detained at the scene, including a rapper known as “Lil Tjay,” whose real name is Tione Jayden Merritt.

In a statement to The Epoch Times, the department said Merritt was charged with disorderly conduct in connection with the incident, which began with a fight. He was also charged with operating a vehicle without a valid license.

Bond was set at $3,000, and Merritt was released from Broward County Jail on Tuesday.

The second individual detained did not face any charges. Authorities are working to identify any other suspects involved.

In a social media statement, Merritt’s lawyer, Dawn M. Florio, said that the rapper “has not been shot” nor “been charged with any shooting.”

“Any reporting to the contrary is false,” read the Instagram post. “We encourage people to consult trusted news sources, and to verify the accuracy of any reporting, before reflexively sharing or repeating baseless rumors.”

The scene of the shooting was quickly contained, and casino operations returned to normal, according to police. An investigation is ongoing.

Offset rose to fame in 2013 with Migos, also consisting of rappers Quavo and Takeoff, who was fatally shot outside a Houston bowling alley in 2022.

Authorities at the time said Takeoff, whose real name is Kirshnik Khari Ball, was an “innocent bystander” and arrested 33-year-old Patrick Xavier Clark on a murder charge.

Migos released a number of multi-platinum singles—including “Versace“ (2013), ”Stir Fry” (2018), “Bad and Boujee” (2016), which hit No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart—and four full-length albums prior to Takeoff’s killing.

The trio was nominated for two Grammys in 2018, for Best Rap Album (“Culture”) and Best Rap Performance (“Bad and Boujee”), but Kendrick Lamar won in both categories.

Offset simultaneously embarked on a solo career, without the group officially announcing a disbandment, and released three albums: “Father of 4” (2019), “Set It Off” (2023), and “KIARI” (2025).

He was previously married to Grammy-award winning rapper Cardi B in 2017, before she filed for divorce in 2024. Together, they share three children.