Biggie Smalls: living on through his music ? and an unsolved murder case
On a day when fans celebrate the life of one hip hop's icons, it's hard to forget the still-murky circumstances of his murder
It was 15 years ago today that Christopher Wallace, better known as Biggie Smalls, or the Notorious BIG, was shot to death while leaving a Los Angeles magazine party. Only 24 at the time, he was riding in the middle of a three-car caravan when a dark Chevy Impala pulled up next to his GMC Suburban and opened fire.
Four armor-piercing bullets of a rare European origin struck the rapper in the chest. He died in the hospital shortly after the attack. Witnesses described the shooter as a light-skinned African American male wearing a blue suit and bow-tie.
Despite the public nature of his killing, the hip hop icon's murder remains unsolved.
In 2002, Rolling Stone reporter Randall Sullivan published the book LAbyrinth, detailing former LAPD detective Russel Poole's investigations into the murder. Poole accused officer David Mack and his friend Amir Muhammad ?�and possibly other officers ? of carrying out Wallace's assassination.
Mack was allegedly an associate of hip-hop mogul Marion "Suge" Knight, a member of Knight's gang and his off-duty bodyguard. Knight's west coast record label, Death Row, was involved in a highly-publicized feud with Wallace's east coast label, Bad Boy Records, at the time. Six months before Biggie was killed, another hip hop titan ? west coast rap legend Tupac Shakur, who was signed to Knight's label ? was murdered on the Las Vegas strip in a similarly public, and unsolved, execution.
Poole honed in on Mack after a black Chevy Impala was reportedly found in his garage next to a "shrine" devoted to Shakur. The same rare bullets used in Wallace's killing were also allegedly found on Mack's property.
While the LAPD opened its own investigation into the murder, the department has been consistently accused of intentionally derailing efforts to bring Biggie's killer to justice. When Poole brought his findings before LA police chief Bernard Parks, for example, he was ordered to cease his investigations into Officer Mack, as he was on his way to prison at the time for robbing a bank. Poole ultimately sued the department.
Wallace's family has filed multiple wrongful death claims against the city of Los Angeles, alleging the LAPD had sufficient evidence to arrest the killer but failed to do so. The suits, including one heard last year, were dismissed.
The FBI launched an investigation into Biggie's death and last year released a cache of documents detailing what they had uncovered. While little new information surfaced in the hundreds of pages of redacted bureau files, the notes revealed the FBI has looked at the potential role of gang-affiliated members of the LAPD and Knight in the killing.
The documents note sources who said known members of the LAPD with questionable records were seen at the final party Biggie attended. Sources also suggested the rapper's murder was carried out so efficiently that multiple professional individuals ? potentially police officers ? were involved. One source apparently told the FBI that Biggie was killed by a "hit man".
The FBI also reported posessing uncut video of the shooting, and that at one point 10 witnesses were prepared to describe what they saw, but refused to talk to the LAPD.
For more on Biggie Smalls, check out the Guardian's Biggie Board on Pinterest, a collaboration in memory of BIG. Tweet us your pics & vids and we'll add them to our growing tribute.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-news-blog/2012/mar/09/biggie-smalls-unsolved-murder-15-years
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