Rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight was shot in the leg early this morning (Aug. 28) during a party hosted by Grammy-winning hip hop artist Kanye West, police said. Knight, 40, was hospitalized in good condition. He was shot during a celebrity-studded party at the Shore Club, one of the many celebrations in Miami Beach ahead of tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards, said Miami Beach Police Officer Bobby Hernandez.
Celebrities who attended included West, actress Jessica Alba and comedian Eddie Murphy, but it was unclear whether they were still there when the shooting took place.
A police report described the shooter only as a black male wearing a pink shirt. “We are interviewing all the witnesses we can to hopefully develop a composite,” Hernandez said.
Knight was admitted to Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach in good condition. Hospital officials said he was scheduled for surgery to remove a bullet from his leg and repair a broken bone. A group of friends waiting at the hospital said Knight was alert and talkative after the shooting.
Several witnesses said Knight was sitting at a table in the VIP Red Room section of the Shore Club when a man walked up and opened fire shortly after midnight. No one else was injured.
Sonja Mauro, a guest at the club, said a shot in the VIP section rang out shortly before 1 a.m. “I was in there and I heard a pop and I ran out and got trampled,” she said. People attending the party began screaming and running for the doors, she said.
Knight co-founded the pioneering rap label Death Row Records and hit the charts in the 1990s with West Coast stars including Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur.
Knight was convicted in 1992 of assault and weapons violations and was placed on probation. In 1996, he was jailed for five years for violating probation after he and several associates, including Shakur, were recorded on videotape beating a gang rival at a Las Vegas hotel. Shakur was later shot to death in Las Vegas.
Relatives of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. have also accused Knight of involvement in B.I.G.’s death, though police have never named him as a suspect. Knight continues to operate his label, now called Tha Row.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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