Feds say gang member bought car used in slaying of Chicago rapper FBG Duck, then returned it
CHICAGO — A reputed Chicago gang member used his own name to purchase a car used in the slaying of Chicago rapper FBG Duck, then returned the vehicle less than two hours later when the dealership accused him of lying on a financing application, prosecutors said in a detention hearing Friday.
Tacarlos Offerd, 30, was one of five alleged members of the South Side’s O-block gang charged this week with racketeering conspiracy, alleging they opened fire on FBG Duck, whose real name was Carlton Weekly, as he stood in line outside a Gold Coast clothing store on Aug. 4, 2020.
In asking that Offerd be held without bond, prosecutors on Friday revealed new details about evidence in the high-profile case, including that Offerd allegedly used his own name to purchase a vehicle at a suburban dealership on July 28, a week before the slaying. Photographs from the dealership even show him standing next to the car, Assistant U.S. Attorney Albert Berry said.
On the day of the shooting, Chicago police POD cameras, plate readers and other surveillance showed the car Offerd purchased traveling to the first block of Oak Street, where two gunmen jumped out and opened fire as Weekly stood on the crowded street, according to Berry. Other gunmen also emerged from a second trailing car.
At least 38 shots were fired at Weekly, fatally wounding the rapper and also injuring two others, before the cars sped from the scene, Berry said.
Within two hours of the shooting, Offerd returned the car at the unidentified dealership, which had found he’d lied about his employment in the financing application, Berry said.
“It’s a heinous crime,” Berry said in asking U.S. Magistrate Judge David Weisman to deny bond. “This was a crowded street in broad daylight ... others could have been injured.”
Offerd’s attorney, John Somerville, said buying a car is not proof of involvement in any shooting, and that Offerd made no admissions of being involved in FBG Duck’s killing. He said Offerd is a lifelong Chicagoan, has four children and has never been to prison.
“What did he do? He could have been miles away, with no participation in or knowledge of the offense,” Somerville said. “Why would he go buy a car in his own name, sign a contract and then go and commit this shooting?”
Weisman ultimately ordered Offerd held in custody pending trial, saying he was a danger to the community.
Even during 2020′s elevated violence levels in the city, the slaying of the rapper stood out, both because of Weekly’s status as an entertainer and the boldness of the fatal attack.
Police at the time described Weekly, 26, as a member of a Gangster Disciples faction that was involved in a fierce feud with the Black Disciples on the South Side.
The 11-page indictment unsealed Wednesday alleged those charged are members of the O-Block gang, a violent faction of the Black Disciples that has publicly claimed responsibility for violence and used social media and music to increase their criminal enterprise.
Also charged were Charles Liggins, also known as “C Murda,” Kenneth Roberson, Christopher Thomas, and Marcus Smart, according to federal documents. They were all accused of committing murder in aid of racketeering as well as various firearms offenses.
The charges carry a mandatory minimum of life in prison upon conviction and prosecutors could also seek the death penalty.
Liggins, 30, Offerd, 30, Thomas, 23, and Smart, 22, were arrested Wednesday morning and appeared via telephone at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where they entered not guilty pleas through their attorneys.
Asked what he did for a living, Offerd, a Fenger High School grad, said he’s a dishwasher.
Liggins, Thomas and Smart waived a detention hearing for now and were ordered detained.
Roberson, 27, was already being held without bond at Cook County Jail on charges he shot a man in Dolton earlier this year, court records show. He will appear on the federal charges at a later date, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
———
