Pressure grows on rapper Nardo Wick to give cops names of two crew members who beat fan George Obergon unconscious leaving him with a brain injury as his traumatized mom says: ‘He wanted a picture with his favorite artist and this is what he gets’
Pressure is mounting on rapper Nardo Wick after police in Tampa released images of the two members of his entourage accused of brutally assaulting a superfan who only wanted to take a photo with the singer.
As a result of the attack, victim George Obregon, 20, suffered a concussion and bleeding in his brain, while his long-term prognosis remains unclear, his mother said.
Police said Obregon approached Wick, real name Horace Bernard Walls III, around 1:15 a.m. after his show on Sunday at the Club Skye in Tampa, Florida.
A video released by the victim’s family and circulating on social media shows a man rushing from behind Obregon as the fan heads towards Wick. Seconds too late, that man and another member of Wick’s entourage took turns punching the fan in the face. As a result of one blow, Obregon falls into a brick wall.
‘At no time was my son aggressive and at no time did she show any sign of damage!!! My son wanted a stupid picture with his favorite artist!!!!And this is what he gets!!!!!!! I’m sick to my stomach thinking about how this could have turned out!!!!’ Obregon’s mother Michelle wrote on Facebook.
She added, βAs a mother, I implore you to help get justice for George Obregon Jr.β Anyone who knows my son knows that he is the sweetest and gentlest child ever. No drugs, alcohol, gang, nothing! I’m dying here and my heart hurts so much that it bothers me. I can’t keep quiet.’
The police are looking for this man in connection with the assault. A video released by the victim’s family and circulating on social media shows a man rushing from behind Obregon as the fan heads towards Wick.
A second man starts punching Obregon and slams his head into a brick wall. The other man then joins in the attack.
Rapper Nardo Wick said the video drove him ‘crazy’ but added he has no control over the actions of others
On Tuesday evening, Tampa police released two images of the attackers. Wick’s campaign has maintained that the two men are not part of his security team and are not “directly associated with Nardo.”
Anyone with information that could help is asked to call the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130 or submit an anonymous tip by contacting Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay, Inc. at 800-873-TIPS (8477) or via TIP411.
A friend who was with Obregon, Connor Villa, told me CBS Tampa Bay that after the clip broke on social media, the two attackers got into Wick’s car and left with him.
βAfter the video stops, Nardo, the artist, rips off the person who hit George and tells everyone to get in the car, the guys who hit him and everyone got in the car,β Villa told the sender.
βI run over to take care of my friend, but he’s sitting against the wall and not responding… It was just something that should have been so much fun. Having a great time meeting one of our favorite artists turned into something I will never forget.β
Obregon’s mother uses the media to draw attention to the horrific incident. During a conversation, she described what happened the night of the attack FoxTampa Bay.
I went to sleep. I already knew it. I answered it. Where’s George? What happened to George? Where is my son? And they say, “You need to go to the hospital urgently.”
βAs a parent who sees this happening to your son or your child in general and you feel hopeless, and you weren’t there, you feel like, ‘I failed. I failed as a parent,β she added in a heartbreaking interview.
‘To say that my son is in this situation for a simple selfie is just astonishing… We can’t say with a brain injury where he might be in a week, two weeks, a year, five years. The brain has to heal on its own,β she told CBS.
Just two days before the attack, Michelle Obregon posted this photo on social media with the caption: ‘Forever grateful for my beautiful family’
Obregon was left in a critical condition β with a severe concussion and brain haemorrhage
Michelle said her son is now conscious.
Meanwhile, Villa confirmed in a separate interview with ABC Tampa Bay that his friend hit his head twice, once on the wall and once when he was pinned to the ground.
βI saw the video for the first time last night and it will be stuck in my head for the rest of my life. I think every mother who watched that video can just relate to or feel my pain,β Michelle told that station.
The incident took place in Ybor City, the same part of Tampa where two people were killed and 16 injured when a shooting broke out at a Halloween party in the area.
In a Facebook post about her son’s ordeal, Michelle wrote: “You never want to get that phone call at 2am #boycottybor.”
The young man’s angry family has taken to social media to demand justice for Obregon. He is seen in the hospital
After a second man punches Obregon, he falls to the ground and hits his head on the sidewalk
Footage of the attack shows Obregon walking towards the rapper and his crew before being punched by one of the men, sending him crashing into a brick wall.
For his part, Wick said in his social media posts that he condemned the terrible actions but said he has “no control over the actions of another adult man.”
The rapper wrote, βI in no way condone what happened to my fan George after my show. I told him and his mother how sorry and concerned I was that it had happened to him, several times before anything had happened. posted or on the internet.
‘I immediately texted his mother my number the night it happened. I had even started making a post to try to find out who he was before his mom texted me.
βI have no control over the actions of another grown man, I don’t know if that happened, and I was angry when it happened.
‘I tried to stop it, as you can see in the video, and if anyone has the longer video you can see how angry I was. I love and appreciate all my fans and will not tolerate what happened during that time at all.β It’s not gangsta or cool in any way.β
As Obregon appears too shocked or hurt to move, another member of Wick’s entourage again punches him several times – while Wick tells the man to “chill.”