From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Police investigate shooting of rap mogul at South Beach party

By Alva James-Johnson
Staff Writer

August 29 2005

The shooting of rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight at a Miami Beach party early Sunday left hip-hop artists defending their craft at the MTV Video Music Awards.

"The sad thing is that people are going to think this is a reflection of rap music," said David Banner, a gangsta rapper. "But it's not a reflection ... people have lives outside of the music."

Knight, 40, was shot once in the upper right leg by an unknown assailant about 12:42 a.m. Sunday at a celebrity-studded party hosted by Grammy-winning, hip-hop artist Kanye West, said Miami Beach police spokesman Bobby Hernandez.

He was scheduled for surgery to remove a bullet from his leg and repair a fractured bone and was listed in good condition at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach.

The investigation continued even as the hip-hop world gathered to celebrate its achievements at the MTV Video Music Awards.

A police report described the shooter only as a black male wearing a pink shirt.

"We are interviewing all the witnesses we can to hopefully develop a composite," Hernandez said.

Miami police spokeswoman Herminia Salas-Jacobson said the Knight shooting did not raise any new security concerns. She said there would be lots of security, as at any event with high-profile guests. But she thought the shooting was "an isolated event."

Rapper Paul Wall said Knight's shooting was unfortunate. "It was a tragedy and we're all praying and hoping he pulls through," Wall said.

Knight's attorneys told hospital officials they wouldn't make any comments about his health Sunday, said hospital spokeswoman Laurie Oliva. His attorney in Los Angeles, Dermot Givens, didn't immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

Hernandez said the first police officer to respond to the shooting was an off-duty Florida Highway Patrol trooper who was working security at the nightclub.

A group of friends waiting at the hospital said Knight was alert and talkative after the shooting. Several witnesses said Knight was sitting at a table about 12:30 a.m. in the VIP Red Room section of the Shore Club when a man walked up and fired shots. No one else was injured.

Celebrities who attended the party included Jessica Alba, Eddie Murphy, Paris Hilton, the Game and The Black Eyed Peas, but it was not clear whether they were still there when the shooting happened.

Knight co-founded the pioneering rap label Death Row Records and hit the charts in the 1990s with West Coast stars Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur.

In 1992, Knight was convicted of assault and weapons violations and was placed on probation. In 1996 he was jailed for five years for violating probation after he and several associates, including Shakur, were recorded on videotape beating a gang rival at a Las Vegas hotel. Shakur was later shot to death in Las Vegas.

Relatives of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. have accused Knight of involvement in B.I.G.'s death, though police have never named Knight as a suspect.

Staff Writer Ivette M. Yee and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Alva James-Johnson can be reached at ajjohnson@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4523.