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New FBI Files Reveal That Biggie Was Killed...By Someone
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 7, 2011
Modified Apr 7, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 7, 2011
Modified Apr 7, 2011
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Back in January, the LAPD announced that they were actively pursuing leads into the slaying of Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls/The Notorious B.I.G., who was killed in a drive-by shooting in LA in 1997. Although we still don't know what any of those new leads might be, the FBI released a 359-page file today (released under the Freedom of Information Act!) consisting of all their info on the case between 1997 and 2005, when it was first closed. And it turns out that everything we thought may be true about the murder may actually really be true!
Much of the information in the files was already known to Biggie assassination enthusiasts. The most interesting bit of new info: Biggie was killed with "very rare...Gecko 9mm armor-piercing ammunition,” which were so rare they could only be found at two distributors in the U.S. That very same ammo was found at the home of former LAPD cop David Mack, who has long been considered a “person of interest” in the case, and was even named in a wrongful death lawsuit by Biggie's family in 2007. The FBI redacted Mack's name from the paperwork, but his identity is clear based on previously released information.
One of the more popular theories on the killing is that it was an off-shoot of the hip-hop East Coast/West Coast rivalry, and set into motion by Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight (that theory was prominent in the "investigative documentary" Biggie and Tupac). Mack, who had been arrested in 1997 for robbing a bank, had an off-duty job working as a bodyguard for Suge Knight that year. In addition to the ammo, detectives also found what they described as a “shrine” to Tupac Shakur at Mack's house, as well as a black Chevy Impala SS, the same car that’s named in the FBI report as being driven by Biggie’s assassin.
Both Mack and Knight have denied any involvement in the murder. The AV Club points out that based on this new info, one particularly wild conspiracy theory may prove to have been true: "Basically, the FBI files seem to confirm many years of conjecture: The LAPD most likely specifically ignored or covered up some incredibly strong evidence that would have convicted one of their own, and which may have even implicated other members of the department." Our favorite tidbit from the files comes courtesy of Nah Right, who noticed a listing of the personal items Big was carrying at the time of his murder: "a bag of weed, an asthma inhaler and 3 Magnum condoms."
Tagged
biggie
biggie small
christopher wallace
conspiracy theories
Music
Notorious B.I.G.
rap
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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