How a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles claimed hip-hop's biggest star
Christopher Wallace, professionally known as the Notorious B.I.G., was fatally shot in a drive-by attack in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles on March 9, 1997. He was 24 years old.
The shooting occurred around 12:30 a.m. PST as Wallace sat in the front passenger seat of a green 1997 Chevrolet Suburban. He had just left a Vibe and Qwest Records Soul Train Awards after-party at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Fire marshals had shut down the event at 12:35 a.m. due to overcrowding, smoking, and excessive noise, prompting Wallace and his entourage—including his bodyguard and associate Lil' Cease—to leave the venue.
As the Suburban waited at a red traffic light, a black Chevrolet Impala pulled alongside. A driver, identified as an unidentified Black male wearing a light blue suit and bow tie, lowered the window and fired six shots at close range. Wallace was struck four times. His entourage immediately rushed him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where emergency medical staff performed a thoracotomy in an attempt to save his life. He was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. PST.
Skyderi på Wilshire Boulevard
Christopher Wallace blev skudt i et drive-by-skyderi ved Wilshire Boulevard og Fairfax Avenue i Los Angeles, mens hans køretøj holdt ved rødt lys. Fire skud blev affyret fra en mørk Chevrolet Impala.
Død erklæret
Wallace blev erklæret død klokken 01:15 på Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
FBI lukker efterforskning
FBI lukkede sin efterforskning af drabet uden at identificere gerningsmanden.
Wrongful-death søgsmål
Wallaces familie anlagde wrongful-death sag mod LAPD.
An autopsy released in 2012 revealed the fatal bullet's trajectory: it entered through his right hip, damaged his colon, liver, and heart, and lodged in his left shoulder.
**An Unsolved Case**
Nearly three decades later, the case remains unsolved. No arrests have been made, and no one has been convicted in connection with the killing.
In 2007, Wallace's mother Voletta Wallace, widow Faith Evans, and his children T'yanna Jackson and C.J. Wallace filed a $400 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department. The suit alleged that corrupt LAPD officers were involved in the murder. The case was dropped in 2010.
**Theories and Allegations**
Retired LAPD detective Greg Kading, in his book "Murder Rap," alleged that Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records, orchestrated the killing as retaliation for rapper Tupac Shakur's unsolved murder six months earlier on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas. Kading claimed that Wardell "Poochie" Fouse, a Mob Piru Blood gang member who is now deceased, was the shooter. However, these remain allegations, not proven facts.