Innocent Man- Cassidy Ft. Mark Morrison

The way Cassidy described the fatal April 2005 gunfight he was involved in sounds like something out of "The Bourne Ultimatum." He had moved to Philadelphia's quiet Providence Street right next door to his mother to escape the carnage that has often plagued the busier areas in his hometown. He just had a newborn son, so why not keep the whole family together? It was supposed to be peaceful and serene, a hideout from the craziness of the music biz as well as the streets. But what happened on that day was catastrophic. His onetime close friend, 22-year-old Desmond Hawkins, was part of an entourage of men who Cassidy said were in a minivan, posted up in a very narrow alleyway behind Cass' house, in front of his garage. When Cassidy and his friends pulled up in a Yukon Denali, gunfire erupted. Several dozen bullets lay on the ground, in cars, even in some people's homes.

"Since the minivan was parked, there was no way to get past it," Cassidy said, standing in the alley, replaying the whole scenario. "You had to back up or turn around to get out. The dudes went through it ... boom, hit my house. I don't really wanna get into details, but at the end of the day, there were like 90 shells [lying all over]. My truck had holes in it, a bunch of driveways, windows, people's homes got shot up. Then there was also a bag found right here by the truck, a plastic bag found with a bunch of shells in it. The cases were the same shells that were fired. Eventually they got a warrant for the house I was living in, and they found an SK clip and a lot of bullets. The bullets they found were the same as the bullets in the house and in the bag."

Cassidy admits that the bullets the police found in his house belonged to him.

"That's the reason why they had a case against me," explained Cassidy, who served eight months in Philadelphia's Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility for Hawkins' death in the incident before being released in March 2006. "That's why I did the time for involuntary manslaughter. That's the reason why they said I was tied in. My team went through it with somebody, so they were my bullets, I'm not gonna deny that. But everything else, I don't wanna get into detail about. But that's why they even had a case, or I would've beat the case altogether.

"I don't have no regrets or remorse," he added. "I believe that everything happened for a reason. I don't believe that I initiated anything, I always tried to bring a solution to the table. The guy that died used to be my friend. I took him to Jamaica and places that people around here have never been, and maybe never even gonna go. I used to take him around for free. It cost money, but he was just cool with me. It's not like I used him for anything — he didn't rap, he didn't produce — I just did it off the love, so I definitely had love for him, and I'm definitely sad that it had to happen like that and wish it went a different way. At the end of the day, that's how it happened, and I just wanna send respect out to his family. Regardless, if either one of us could've made different decisions, they had nothing to do with it. I know they probably hurt from losing somebody in their family, so that's the only people I'd like to give respect out to. And if there's anything I could do to help them out, I'm willing to do it. I've never had a problem with no one in his family. I just was protecting myself, and that's why I'm able to be on the streets right now."

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[boogabone]

sick video,thumbs up if you think cassidy is a beast on this track

[SoneyBlakk]

i feel the homeboy cassidy did what he had to do... on on those grounds alone he good money with the streets. He decided that protecting his family was more important then even his life and thats what i call a Don's decision. keep riding my dude...

[Pinksponge11]

2:01 wtf that's not even cassidy

[MclovinChikaChikaWat]

You put together a great video

[59alvin]

listen to da damn song yu will kno

[TERRELL3258]

YEAH DIS A TRUE STORY

[Elkarbise]

was that a real story? about this song?

[tarrancegant34]

too too many is sleeping on cassidy either skills man forreal....this is the best.

[qujome]

R.I.P Troy Davis