Tia Kemp Alleges Her and Rick Ross’ Son Was Pistol-Whipped, Managed to Escape: ‘He Was Going to Kill My Son’

Madison E. GoldbergSat, November 14, 2026 at 5:37 AM UTC

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Tia KempCredit: Funky Friday Podcast -

Tia Kemp shared new details about the alleged incident in which her son, William Roberts III, was pistol-whipped on his college campus

Kemp recounted the incident during a Friday, Nov. 13 appearance on Cam Newton’s Funky Friday podcast

Police arrested Don Roberts III on aggravated assault and battery charges in connection with the incident in October

Tia Kemp is sharing new details surrounding the alleged incident in which her son, William Roberts III, was pistol-whipped.

Kemp, 50, who shares William with ex Rick Ross, spoke about the harrowing confrontation during an appearance on Cam Newton’s Funky Friday podcast on Friday, Nov. 13. She recalled that her son had been “talking” to a girl for a month or two, and had recently brought her backstage at Ross’s homecoming concert at his college, Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla., in September.

“So, I guess this kid probably got jealous of that,” Kemp said.

Two weeks later, Kemp says William was with the girl he had been seeing and her friend on campus, when a man she alleged was the girl’s ex-boyfriend approached them.

“You know, all of the kids are going to flock to him,” she said of her suspicion for why her son was targeted. “He’s a student athlete, who’s child he is, he’s good looking, got his own apartment, you know, he don’t stay in the dorms. He got a nice truck. It’s like, let’s be real.”

William is one of Ross’ five kids. The Grammy-nominated rapper welcomed William with Kemp in 2005.

Kemp went on to say that her son was just “doing what a normal college kid [does]” at the time of the alleged attack.

“This car pull up, a guy get out, walk up to them,” she explained. “He walk up to the girl first and say, ‘Hey, this what we doing’ [while] pointing it at her face, the gun.”

Kemp then alleged the man, who police recently identified as Don Roberts III, told her son, “I don’t care who your daddy is, I’ll kill your ass.”

“And he hit my son across the head one time right here,” she added, gesturing to where he was hit.

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“My son said he stood there and he just looked at him because ‘mom, he was waiting on a response and he was going to kill me,’ ” she recounted.

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She praised her son for being “so smart and so humble and so disciplined” in his response to the situation.

“He stood there and humbled himself ‘cause all that guy wanted was a response Cam, and he was going to kill my son,” she said. “So my son said he just started backing up. He didn’t say nothing. He say ‘I just looked him in the eyes.’ He said because if he didn’t have that gun you know I would have tackled that boy and broke his neck.”

Kemp then said the girls called police to the scene.

Officers stated in an affidavit previously obtained by PEOPLE that William alleged on Oct. 11 that he was standing and speaking to a woman on the corner of McLeod Ave. and Weaver St. when Don, 20, exited his vehicle yelling, “That’s what we doin.’ ”

William told police he believed Don was referencing the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, as she and Don had a previous romantic relationship, per the affidavit.

William alleged that Don then approached him holding a tan handgun in his right hand, aimed it, and said, “I don’t care who your daddy is, I’ll kill you right here,” according to the affidavit, which echoed Kemp’s recollection of events.

Don was arrested and booked on Oct. 16 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to arrest records reviewed by PEOPLE in October.

He was released on a $50,000 bond on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and was arraigned on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

During the podcast, Kemp questioned Don’s motive, wondering if he was “hired” to assault her son.

She then referenced a previous Instagram post from 50 Cent, who had shared a photo of Don’s mugshot, Complex reported.

“I got him he will be out tomorrow I’m sending @drewfindling,” 50 Cent wrote about Don. “This is a big misunderstanding that can easily be resolved. This was a street fight, I mean STREET FIGHTER is in theaters! LOL.”

Kemp later criticized the rapper in the comments, writing, “U have NO room to post anyone’s child,” per the outlet.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”