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A few days after Offset was shot outside a casino in Florida, the Migos rapper has been released from the hospital and back on his feet – a spokesman confirmed this to ROLLING STONE.
The 34-year-old, real name Kiari Cephus, spoke out personally for the first time on Friday and thanked his fans for their good wishes and support. “I’m good… but I’m planning to be better,” Offset wrote in a handwritten letter posted on Instagram.
“I’m focused on my family, my recovery, and getting back to the music,” he added. “Realizing that life is made up of quiet wins and loud losses… Life’s a gamble and I’m still playing to win.”
Shootout in front of the casino
Offset suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting outside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on Monday. Local police have not yet formally charged anyone in connection with the crime.
However, rapper Lil Tjay, real name Tione Jayden Merritt, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the incident. The 24-year-old was taken into custody at the scene and charged with disruptive behavior. Merritt was released the same day, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said.
His attorney, Dawn M. Florio, called online speculation about Merritt’s further involvement in the shooting “false” and “baseless rumors.” “Lil Tjay has not been charged in any way in connection with any shooting,” she said in a statement. “Any reporting to the contrary is false,” Florio continued. “We ask everyone to use reputable news sources and check the accuracy of reports.”
History between the rappers
The Seminole Police Department said the investigation is ongoing.
There is a history between Offset and Merritt. In January 2025, Merritt accused Offset of an out-of-control gambling addiction, claiming the Migos rapper was “broke” and owed him $10,000 after lending him money. “I’ll tell you a true story: I saw the n**** in the casino. He was exhausted, he was panicking,” Merritt said in an Instagram Live. “He begged random people for cash apps.”
Offset, whose Migos colleague Takeoff died in a shooting in 2022, has already put his promise to focus on music back into action, sharing a snippet of a new track on Instagram on Friday.
“We are incredibly grateful to the doctors, nurses and entire hospital staff who took such good care of him,” a spokesperson for Offset said.
