Two men have been arrested in connection with
the D.C. area sniper shootings that claimed the lives of 10 people and wounded
three. John Muhammad, 42 and John Malvo, 17, will be charged with 6 counts of
murder.
"They better hope that these dudes aren’t
terrorists," rapper Skillz told AllHipHop.com. "If they are, all this
sniper sh*t is just a diversion for something way bigger." The rapper lives
in Richmond VA, close to the last murder.
The two main suspects who allegedly went on a
killing spree starting October 2, are supposedly sympathetic to the 9-11 hijackers
and authorities said that Muhammad was a Gulf War veteran who earned an expert
marksmanship badge.
"If its true, it will put us (blacks) as
a people right back to the way it was before 9/11," producer and longtime
DJ for EPMD’s Scratch added.
A Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle, a scope, a tripod
and a "sniper platform" were recovered from the suspects’ 1990 Chevrolet
Caprice according to reports. The Caprice even had a hole in the trunk area
so the alleged snipers could fold down their back seats, lay down in the trunk
and take aim at their victims discreetly.
Prominent African-American businessman, Ken
Bridges was among the snipers 10 casualties. As the cofounder of MATAH,
Bridges stressed economic freedom and self empowerment for African-Americans.
"We should not forget that people died
and there are families and communities seriously grieving," Davey D said.
"Kenneth Bridges cofounded one of the country’s few Black distribution
companies. People I know who knew him, talk fondly as to what an inspirational
cat he was and how he really tried to make a difference. One can only imagine
what his family is going through."
Though most overlooked it, the sniper attacks
did effect the hip-hop community. LL Cool J, who is touring to promote his tenth
album, 10, admitted he was leery of performing at the "For The Sisters
Only Expo" inside of the Washington, DC Convention Center.
"Was I concerned? Yes. Was I uncomfortable?
Yes. Did I decide to come to DC anyway? Yes," Cool J recently told People
Magazine. "I’m proud to be American and I don’t think living your life
in fear is healthy."
Security was beefed up at BET’s Walk of Fame
party, which took place at the company’s North East Washington DC headquarters.
The event honored Stevie Wonder and was attended by such notables as Ja Rule,
Gerald Levert, Musiq and many others. Even Busta Rhymes rescheduled business
during the string of attacks to avoid the sniper’s scope.
Still, some remained skeptical that the real
sniper has been apprehended. Jay-Z’s young gun, Geda-K said "It’s a false
alarm again and we’ll all know when someone else get killed."
