A
former city police officer already behind bars for bank robbery
is one of the suspects in the 1997 shooting death of rap star
Notorious B.I.G, the Los Angeles Times reported today. Investigators
are reportedly examining whether former Officer David Mack conspired
with Death Row Records founder Suge Knight to arrange the contract
killing of the 24-year-old rapper whose real name was Christopher
Wallace. Wallace was gunned down on March 9, 1997, after leaving
a music industry party at the Peterson Automotive Museum.
No
one has been charged in the shooting, which some blamed on a turf
battle between Death Row and a rival rap label in New York City.
Another theory behind the 360-pound rapper’s death is that he
was killed over a feud with gang members who claimed he owed them
money for providing security. Mack is under suspicion for allegedly
hiring longtime friend Amir Muhammad to attack Wallace, the Times
reported, citing confidential police documents and sources that
include a former detective assigned to the case.
A
witness placed Mack at the scene of the slaying, and another man
who was in the same vehicle as Wallace picked Mack out of a photo
lineup of six men, according to police documents. Mack is serving
a 14-year prison term for the 1997 bank robbery. Police have been
unable to locate Muhammad. Mack’s attorney, Donald M. Re, said
any link between his client and Wallace’s killing “sounds absolutely
ridiculous.” Knight attorney Robin Yanes called the theory old
and said: “Suge doesn’t know (Mack.)” Detectives have previously
identified Knight as a suspect, alleging that he may have ordered
Wallace’s killing while he was in jail on a parole violation.
He currently is serving a nine-year prison sentence stemming from
a 1992 attack on two rappers in a recording studio.
Mack
is also a former partner of Officer Rafael Perez, who has been
at the center of a growing corruption probe of the Los Angeles
Police Department. He is cooperating with prosecutors by giving
them details of setups and falsified police reports in exchange
for a lighter sentence on his conviction for stealing cocaine.
Perez’s information has resulted in 11 convictions being overturned
and more than a dozen officers have been suspended.
