UPDATE 10/2/18: A Birdman source now tellsTMZ that the call in question was "in no way" connected to the shooting. The source added that Birdman reportedly doesn't even believe that Winfrey was responsible for the shooting. Furthermore, the source said, Birdman "would never associate" with someone who attempted such a thing.
See original story from 10/1/18 below.
Amidst Tha Carter V celebrations last week, news arrived from Atlanta that Young Thug and Cash Money co-founder Birdman could be charged as co-conspirators in the 2015 shooting of a Lil Wayne tour bus. Now, excerpted audio of a phone call between Birdman and accused shooter Jimmy "PeeWee Roscoe" Winfrey (first mentioned in last week's report) has surfaced.
"It's time for you to come out here and get your money, man . . . You done did everything you could do, boss," Birdman is heard saying in the call. "It's an eye-opener, bruh. Strictly business, man." As local Atlanta outlet WSB-TV previously reported, the Cobb County District Attorney's office announced Friday that a decision regarding possible charges against Birdman and Thugger would be made within the next "couple of weeks."
Winfrey had a conviction in this case overturned by Georgia Supreme Court in 2017 after it was ruled that improper coercion had occurred in relation to his plea deal. Now, Alvin Lewis—the driver of the Wayne bus in question—is taking legal action against all three men. Lewis alleges that Winfrey, Thugger, and Birdman "conspired in the shooting," ultimately straddling him with "pain and suffering." The leaked audio from the Birdman and Winfrey conversation is part of the evidence (alongside phone records showing Thugger called Winfrey eight times in the minutes leading up to the shooting) included in Lewis' civil court filing.
At the time of the shooting's initial reports, the Atlanta Police Department claimed Winfrey was driving a white sports car that pulled up beside Wayne's buses, then opened fire "with a .40 caliber handgun and a 9mm handgun." Winfrey later pleaded guilty to the shooting and received a 10-year sentence, though—as previously stated—that conviction was later overturned.
