Shakur was target of shooting, police say
September 14, 1996
Web posted at: 11:15 p.m. EDT
LAS VEGAS (CNN) -- Rapper Tupac Shakur, who died Friday of
gunshot wounds, was the target of the shooting that led to
his death, Las Vegas police believe.
Shakur was hit by four bullets September 7 as he rode near
the Las Vegas strip in a car driven by the head of Death Row
Records, Marion "Suge" Knight, who was slightly wounded.
"Thirteen or 14 rounds were fired; almost all went into the
passenger side of the vehicle," said Las Vegas police
spokesman Phil Roland. "We feel pretty sure that Shakur was
the target."
The shots were fired from a white Cadillac with two or three
males inside, investigators said. But details remains
sketchy, because those riding in Shakur's 10-car entourage
have not been forthcoming as witnesses.
"All of the people seem to be looking somewhere else and
didn't see much," Roland said.
Shakur's death, which occurred after his right lung was
removed, could hinder the investigation into the shooting.
"He was going to be one of our key witnesses," Roland said.
Police are investigating a reported rivalry between East and
West Coast rappers, and they are looking into the business
dealings of the rap music world. Possible gang links in Las
Vegas or Los Angeles are also being investigated.
Shakur's fans Saturday mourned his death, and there was been
widespread reflection on the meaning of his brief life and
death and the inherent violence of the gangsta rap culture he
espoused.
"This is so, so sad," the Rev. Jesse Jackson told the Los
Angeles Times. "Sometimes the lure of violent culture is so
magnetic that even when one overcomes it with material
success, it continues to call. He couldn't break the cycle."
CNN Correspondent Jim Hill in Los Angeles and Reuters contributed to this report.
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